Local educator named finalist for nation’s highest STEM teaching award

Priest River Lamanna High School math teacher Nicole Anderson is among six Idaho educators selected as the state’s finalists for the 2025 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. 

A national committee will review the pool of about 300 finalists nationwide and select two teachers from each state to receive the award, which is the U.S. government’s highest honor for science, technology, mathematics and engineering instructors.

According to the PAEMST website, Bonner County's most recent awardee is former Sagle Elementary science teacher Betty Collins, who received the honor in 1999.

“The PAEMST awards are an opportunity for us to recognize Idaho educators who are pulling out all of the stops when it comes to student achievement in STEM,” Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said in a March 26 press release. 

“As opportunities in STEM-related careers continue to grow in Idaho and nationwide, the work that these dedicated educators are doing has never been more vital — or more impactful — for our students and communities,” Critchfield added. 

The educators who advance to the national award level will be recognized by the White House and will receive a paid trip to Washington D.C., a certificate signed by the president and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. 

National awardees are expected to be announced by the White House this summer.