Leonard honored by state

SANDPOINT — Southside Elementary librarian and technology teacher Lynette Leonard is among two rural educators in the state who were recently honored by the Idaho STEM Action Center.

Leonard, and Emmett science teacher Robin Wilson, received the 2019 Industry’s Excellent Educators Dedicated to STEM award for being champions of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as connecting students with industry leaders to mentor projects and provide invaluable career guidance, according to a statement from center officials.

“I am truly honored and humbled to have received such an amazing award,” Leonard said in an email to the Daily Bee. “It is one of the special moments in your life that you remember forever. I have moments every day that shape who I am and this one inspires me to do more for the students and staff at Southside and the community. I want to help create a community of innovation and full of great leaders who make a positive impactful difference in this world.”

Leonard and Wilson were presented with their INDEEDS awards by the Idaho Technology Council at the Hall of Fame and Idaho Innovation Awards Gala on Wednesday.

“The STEM skills that students learn today will prepare them for the careers they will start a decade or more from now,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in the center’s statement. “We congratulate and thank these award-winning educators for bringing lifelong knowledge in science, technology, engineering, art, and math to rural Idaho.”

Leonard, who has instructed children in formal and informal settings for 15 years, is a passionate advocate of STEAM education, which incorporates the arts into science, technology, engineering, and math instruction. Leonard said she has been taught her entire life that when you see a need, you try to make it better. So when she came to North Idaho seven years ago, she saw a need — a need to help the younger generation be competitive with the rest of the nation, she said.

The place to start is in elementary school, she said, because that is when kids start discovering their interests and hobbies. It is critical for the community and school to ensure future generations are getting the resources, tools and skills that will help them reach their “full potential,” she said.

“My passion comes from need and a belief that if you help a child have confidence, give them the right resources and tools they all can become great leaders.” Leonard said.

Over the past few years, Leonard has created a makerspace in the Southside Elementary library, started a 3D printing team, hosted STEAM career nights and STEAM summer camps. Southside is a “very innovative” school Leonard said, and the staff is constantly looking at ways to strengthen the STEAM program. There are five staff members on an “Educurious” team, who are attending trainings throughout the year to give Southside the tools it needs to ensure they are building a strong foundational program.

“The team is excited to be learning about new programs that help us build a stronger STEAM program,” Leonard said. “Over the next year you will see some of these programs being put into place at Southside, setting it apart from other schools. In addition, we are in the progress of becoming one of six schools in the state of Idaho to be a STEM certified school. The dedicated staff has put many years into getting Southside ready to become a certified STEM school on Nov. 11 and 12.

In addition to working toward becoming STEM certified, Leonard and Southside principal Jacque Johnson have been working hard to make the school the first in Idaho to have a STEAM SmartLab.

“I am so excited that we are so close to having the STEAM SmartLab. Thanks to the continuous support from the community, sponsors and grants. We are only $7,500 from making it a reality.”

The school has so far received $84,553 in grants and sponsorships. While the initial fundraising goal was higher, the total needed has changed due to some donations of furniture and other items for the lab, Leonard said.

“Every week the total gets smaller and smaller, and we will accomplish the goal,” she said. “I know this lab will impact the lives of all who live in this community.”

The Southside Elementary Parent in Education organization has set up a GoFundMe account to help raise the rest of the money at gofundme.com/f/stem-smartlab.

Both educators who received the INDEEDs award will receive checks for $2,000 and up to $2,000 more to attend any STEM- related national conference, plus their schools will receive $2,000 each to fund science, technology, engineering, and math initiatives. The STEM Action Center, Idaho National Laboratory, Vynyl, Micron Foundation, Discovery Center of Idaho, Idaho Power, Trailhead, and Idaho Technology Council are providing the prize package.

Former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne created the INDEEDS awards in 2000. The Micron Foundation, Idaho National Laboratory, HP, LCF Enterprises, Idaho Power, and AECOM — formerly URS/Washington Group — sponsored the effort, initially called the Governor’s Industry Award for Notable Teaching in Science. In 2013, former Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter incorporated the award presentation into ITC’s Idaho Innovation Awards, and in 2015 he assigned the program to the STEM Action Center, which renamed it INDEEDS to emphasize the important role industry plays in fostering a well-educated workforce, according to the center’s statement.

The Idaho STEM Action Center was created in 2015 because Idaho citizens are not entering the STEM pipeline fast enough to meet current and future Idaho workforce needs, according to the statement. Its goals are to coordinate and facilitate implementation of STEM programs, align education and workforce needs, and increase awareness of STEM throughout Idaho. The organization is working with industry, government, educators, and students to develop new resources and support high-quality professional-development opportunities to foster a STEM-educated workforce that ensures Idaho’s continued economic prosperity. Visit STEM.Idaho.gov for information.

Dr. Angela Hemingway, executive director of the STEM Action Center, said in the statement that STEM knowledge and skills are important to the future of Idaho, because they’re needed for critical and creative thinking, problem solving, innovation, and collaboration.

“Idaho is the fastest-growing state in the U.S., our tech sector is the second fastest growing in the nation, and 80 percent of all jobs will require technology skills within the next 15 years,” she said. “Meanwhile, Idaho’s unfilled STEM jobs leaped from 3,800 in 2016 to 6,300 in 2018, which represents nearly $413 million in lost personal wages and more than $22 million in lost state tax receipts. The Idaho Department of Labor predicts upwards of 100,000 STEM jobs will exist in Idaho by 2024. These jobs will represent $6.5 billion in personal income and almost $350 million in tax revenue if our workforce is poised to fill them.”

Hemingway said there are nearly 7,800 unfilled STEM jobs in Idaho and that all of Idaho’s top- 10 hot jobs require STEM skills: Registered nurses, software developers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, information security analysts, industrial machinery mechanics, market research analysts, pharmacists, physical therapists, and loan officers.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.