Dr. Heather Knox, a MCS Gifted Coach and former fifth-grade math teacher at Northfield Elementary, was honored by the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents as the Tennessee State Finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

The PAEMST award is the nation’s highest honor for K-12 mathematics and science teachers. The awards program is administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Each year, a national committee of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators recommends up to 108 teachers to receive PAEMST awards. Up to two teachers – mathematics or science – from each State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories as a group, and schools operated in the United States and overseas by the Department of Defense Education Activity receives the award.

Knox received her Doctor of Education from Carson-Newman University and her Master of Education from Middle Tennessee State University. She has taught with Murfreesboro City Schools since 2012.