Amy Roediger, a graduate of Cleveland State University’s College of Education and Human Services, has won a prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) from President Barack Obama.

The award recognizes outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators. Roediger was one of 213 honorees who received their awards earlier this month at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“The PAEMST recognizes excellent teaching, but to achieve excellence requires the help and support of many people,” said Roediger, a chemistry teacher at Mentor High School. “Though I am the one being honored, this award also celebrates my own tremendous teachers, my industrious students and their parents, my encouraging administrators and colleagues, and my incredibly supportive family. This community of people compels me to do my very best work every day in my classroom and beyond.”

Roediger has been an educator for 25 years and has spent the last 20 years teaching chemistry at Mentor High School. She currently teaches Honors Chemistry to 10th–12th grade students. She also taught physical science and chemistry at Shaker Heights High School.

A recent inductee into the Ohio High School Speech League’s Hall of Fame, Roediger has coached competitive speech and debate for 25 years because she is passionate about clear, concise communication and critical thinking.

Roediger’s love of teaching goes beyond the classroom. She served as an adviser to the Hershey Montessori chapter of Roots & Shoots, a Jane Goodall initiative that teaches students to help people, animals, and the environment. She also recently began a computer coding camp for 4th, 5th and 6th graders.

Roediger teaches graduate workshops on educational technology at Lake Erie College. She is also a regular presenter at area educational technology conferences. As a Network Regional Leader for the Ohio Department of Education, she helps schools integrate Ohio’s Science and Technology Learning Standards.

Roediger earned a B.A. in chemistry from Hiram College and a M.Ed. from CSU. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in adolescent and young adult science and holds a Chemistry 7–12 Permanent Certificate and Lead Professional Educator license in the state of Ohio.