Winchester High chemistry teacher Gina Zhou finalist in Presidential Awards

It’s the last day for Winchester High School seniors and they crowd into Gina Zhou’s classroom, seeking photos and asking her to sign yearbooks. She happily does so, doling out praise, offering advice, joking around and sending them off with hugs and promises to check in with her from time to time as they go about their new lives in college.

They, in turn, tell her they love her, that they will miss her terribly and she was the best teacher they ever had.

It seems like just another year of saying farewells to graduating students — except that today is a special day for Zhou. She’s just been honored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as one of two finalists who will represent the state at the national Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

The awards are the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science teaching.

On May 30, representatives from DESE popped into WHS to recognize Zhou during a ceremony held in her classroom. Dozens of students and fellow teachers turned out, offering congratulations and well wishes.

“I know what a high bar it is so I was so proud,” said Ann Ritchie, director of science for grades 6 to 12. “My thoughts were that this is such an appropriate teacher to give it to.”

Ritchie decided to throw the party for Zhou. She said back in April, she reached out to students and asked if they’d be interested in attending the ceremony. She also asked them to come up with one word that would describe Zhou.

“Virtually everyone responded,” she said. “They wanted to come.”

During the ceremony, Ritchie gave Zhou a special gift — a lanyard with one word tags, each representing the descriptions of her given by students. Ritchie said a student actually designed each tag especially for Zhou.

Ritchie said it’s important to celebrate the good things being done in the schools by faculty.

“Teaching can be such a grind,” she said. “When you get to September, you are off and running and there’s a lot to get done.”

New classes, new students, new ideas to try out. Ritchie said when summer comes, some teachers like Zhou continue to work.

“That’s why we have to take these moments of celebration,” Ritchie said. “I’m just overjoyed to hear students say that there’s no one better to receive this award. It’s an experience for them, too. In fact, it’s an award for the whole community.”

The award

DESE representatives Casandra Gonzalez, science content support specialist and PAEMST MA science coordinator, and Corrine Steever, innovative assessment project manager, made their final stop in Winchester on May 30.

The duo have been all over the state, informing about 20 or so other finalists in different subjects. Gonzalez said it’s great to see schools coming out to celebrate their teachers.

“I’d say the last few years, we’ve seen things amp up at the school sites,” she said. “Whether or not these teachers win at the national level, we think of all these teachers as champions.”

Steever added they’ve already won at the state level.

And it’s a difficult process.

Gonzalez said teachers are either nominated by someone else or can self-nominate. There’s a long application process that includes a video, recommendations, and a deep dive into their subjects. The process takes from September through February.

A panel of educational experts and past winners meet in February. In March, the state-level winners are announced.

The National Science Foundation administers the national awards, which have representatives from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense Education Activity schools and every U.S. territory.

The winners receive a $10,000 prize and a visit to the White House, where they meet the president, and later tour Washington D.C.

During her presentation, Gonzalez said the awards are all about celebrating the excellence of teachers.

“The award recognizes those teachers that have both deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and who also have the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful in those areas,” she said. “In order to qualify for the award, teachers must demonstrate a commitment to practice and must show leadership inside and outside of their community.”

Number one fans

There’s no doubt in the minds of students just who should be a national-level awardee.

“She should win,” said sophomore Charlotte Bermidor-O’Donnell, of Zhou. “She’s an aggressive teacher, but she has made me feel comfortable with asking questions in class. She’s never made me feel bad about myself and she’s made [chemistry] fun, more engaging.”

Fellow sophomore Sophia Barbosa couldn’t wait to extoll Zhou’s virtues.

“The minute I walked into her class, I knew I was going to have a good year,” Barbosa said. “I heard chemistry was a hard class, and I’m not saying it’s been super easy, but she makes the hard stuff not seem so threatening. She really knows how to teach.”

But it’s more than that, Barbosa said, adding Zhou has taught her to be in control when taking tests or tackling a tough subject.

“I have found such joy in learning everything I have in this class,” she said.

Defne Mergen, Amelia Holmes, Mariel Nagler, Sierra Scott, Alysa Zhang and Eloise Woelk gather and praise their teacher, her organizational skills, how she always has labs and other materials graded the next day, her enthusiasm for her students…and on it goes.

“We are her number one fans!” they cheer.

It’s not news to Charlotte Gately, a senior who took AP chemistry with Zhou and is her teaching assistant in her honors chemistry class.

“She is so deserving of this award,” Gately said. “She is an amazing teacher. She’s always helping her students. She’s done an awesome job and I’m so proud of her.”

What does Zhou say?

It might surprise some to hear that Zhou nominated herself for this award. During the ceremony, she explained that the application experience gave her a real opportunity to examine how she teaches, her knowledge of what she teaches and all the other criteria required to qualify.

“I did it for my students, I really did,” she said. “I want to be the teacher that I wished I had in high school. That’s why I do it.”

As the day winds up, everyone has come and gone, but students still hang out in Zhou’s classroom. And Zhou is still smiling.

“I did not expect such a turnout,” she said, of celebration. “I kept telling Ann [Ritchie] how nervous I was to get up there.”

Zhou said she almost didn’t make it to the celebration. She said when she had a meet and greet with the folks at DESE and other applicants, it caused her to re-think her application, one she’d spent more than 100 hours filling out.

All the other candidates, Zhou said, were just so qualified and had amazing resumes.

“I told my mentor I should withdraw and do it again in two years,” she said. “I felt like I just wasn’t qualified yet. She said I’d worked so hard and to just give it a try. I could always use the feedback for later.”

But she won!

“I was very surprised,” she said, when the email rolled in around May to tell her she was a state-level winner. “I was also very excited.”

Now, Zhou will write an addendum to her application based on the feedback from the state panel for the national awards. It’s more work she said she will gladly take on.

What does Zhou think her chances are at the national level?

“I really don’t know,” she said. “I met them, but we didn’t really talk. We will have an opportunity next week to casually meet. These folks are all amazing.”

But, Zhou said, it’s not really about the award. Just like she said earlier. It’s about the kids.

“I am lucky to have such a group of kids who are motivated and so sweet,” she said, with a smile. “I know how hard it is to be a teenager. I would say that teaching chemistry is my job, but I really try to help the kids understand the struggle in high school is real. But I can be here for them.”