H-M-S alumnus wins Iowa STEM Teacher Award

A Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn alumnus was recently named one of six winners of the Iowa STEM Teacher Award.

Kristen Recher, a 2011 H-M-S graduate, earned the honor in the South Central Region of Iowa. Recher is a fifth grade teacher at Northeast Elementary in Ankeny.

The annual award honors six teachers who work to inspire a passion for science, technology, engineering and math with their students. Recher was nominated by fellow fifth grade teacher Kelsey Speer.

The award, which is sponsored by Kemin Industries, comes with $1,500 for Recher's classroom and $1,500 for her personal use. In an interview with the Des Moines Regiser, she said her plans for the money include boosting a maker's space for students and acquiring more STEM-related books for her classroom's shelves.

According to a news release, Recher works to incorporate STEM into her teaching as she teaches all subjects by having students use technology to tell stories and do research to support ideas in a debate or explore how math might play a role in their future careers. Recher also includes reading materials with diverse representation about STEM careers.

Recher is the daughter of Glen and Dawn Recher and the granddaughter of Gloria Riedemann, of Hartley.