Our heartfelt congratulations go out to Tim Renz, Washington State’s High School Science Teacher of the Year! Tim is part of our Partners in Science program, first as a teacher and now as an implementation coach, and he has applied the principles he learned through the program to transform how he teaches high school science. Tim has taught at Foster High School in Tukwila for more than 20 years, one of the nation’s most diverse schools, with 75 percent of students classifying as immigrants or refugees.
“I have devoted my entire career to providing the students I see with the tools and experiences that will allow them to compete with more privileged students from other districts,” says Tim. “My work with the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s Partners in Science program allowed me to not only work in a research lab for two summers, but it introduced me to the Van Andel Education Institutes Community of Scientific Practice model. I have developed a deep professional network to be able to provide students with experiences that would otherwise not be accessible to them.”
It has been an honor supporting Tim as he brings cutting-edge scientific research and innovative techniques to students who might otherwise not experience science in such an exciting and accessible way.
A former student says of her teacher, “Mr. Renz taught human anatomy in a way that was engaging because you could tell he was passionate about science. It is a passion that sparks passion in other students.” Because of her experience in Tim’s classroom, this student went on to study biochemistry and now works in a lab focused on developing new immunotherapies for children with leukemia. Tim is truly raising up the next generation of scientists, who will save lives and change the world with their research.
