The district is pleased to announce that West End Elementary School science teacher Annmarie Roth was recently recognized as the recipient of the Anton Banko Award for Excellence in Teaching Elementary Science, courtesy of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. Roth will be presented with the award during the STANYS conference in November.

Nominated by West End Principal Dr. Cindy Lee, Roth was selected based on her ability to teach and inspire the next generation of inventors, scientists and engineers. The award honors Anton Banko, an engineer who developed the first automated instruments and procedures used for intraocular microsurgery. The technologies and procedures he pioneered are still used by surgeons today and represent a milestone in the evolution of STEM applications. 

Roth, a teacher at West End for the past 21 years, teaches science to approximately 325 students from second through fifth-grade each year. Under her guidance, the students engage in hands-on, inquiry-based science projects and challenging STEM activities. Upon hearing that she was nominated for the award and won, Roth felt both honored and thrilled. 

“I love having the opportunity to provide West End’s students with their first science and engineering experiences and discoveries,” she said. “I have always loved science and I strive to instill the same love of science in my students. My goal is to provide my students with a strong foundation that will last a lifetime and to inspire them to become our future scientists and engineers.”