Published: October 08, 2008 08:44 pm      

Evans named ‘America’s Top Science Teacher’

WELCH — After two days of defying gravity and bending light at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Edward “Ed” Evans has captured the title of “America’s Top Science Teacher.”

Evans, a veteran 27-year school teacher from McDowell County, beat out educators from across the nation to capture the national science teacher award through Discovery Education and 3M. During two days of competition at Goddard Space Flight Center, he participated in multiple rounds of space-themed challenges that were judged by several 3M scientists and NASA representatives, including a former astronaut.

“I won,” Evans, a teacher at Mount View High School in Welch, said. “The governor called me this morning. This is a great honor for the county, and a great honor for the state. When the governor called me today — he said this is an awesome honor for the state. I said yes it is. It’s a real honor to have him to call the school. The students —they all made me little cards. I got into the room today, and there is this big stack of cards. The teachers made a banner, and everything, and they put it up in the school and signed it. It was very touching. I work with some of the most wonderful people you can ever imagine.”

Evans, a 1977 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, is hoping the national honor will help bring positive attention to McDowell County — just like Homer Hickam and the original Rocket Boys of McDowell County did more than 50 years ago.

During the two days of competition held near Washington, Evans was challenged to do everything from simulating a moon walk to designing a fuel mixture for rocket sleds.

“It’s now sort of sunk in,” Evans said. “I won a national award. We had two days of competition. Over the two days, there were actually 11 challenges. The first one was literally having to use lasers and map the surface of Mars. The second one — this month they were supposed to send up a space shuttle with the repair crew for the Hubble Space Shuttle. That was delayed due to some camera equipment problems. We were with the astronauts and flight crew that were on that program. We had to design repairs that could very well be used when they go up to do the repairs. We also had to simulate a walk on the moon. The moon has one sixth the gravity that earth does. So we had to take a dummy in a space suit, and actually calculate his weight, and what it would be on the moon.”

As part of the national award, Evans was not only named the nation’s top science teacher, but also will receive a $5,000 cash prize, a Discovery Education multimedia service set including video-based learning products for the classroom, and numerous products from 3M to be used throughout the school year at Mount View High School.

Evans returned home to McDowell County Tuesday night, and was back in the classroom teaching Wednesday morning.

“I went down to the Board of Education office the first thing when I got there,” Evans said. “I spoke to the superintendent, and all of the people that were in the office. I just work for a wonderful superintendent. Mrs. Cook has just been so wonderful for our county. She sits and listens when people have problems. She finds a way for education to happen in our county. I thank them for letting me have the time to do this, and providing me the equipment to do this. I just thank her, and the Board of Education, and of course Lynda is a member of the board. They just really care for our children.”

Evans, who began his teaching career at Welch Junior High before moving on to Mount View High School, resides in Welch with his wife Lynda, who is a member and the current vice president of the McDowell County Board of Education, and their two children, McKinsie, a student a Mount View High School, and Brandon, a student at Welch Elementary.

Evans, the president-elect of the West Virginia Science Teacher's Association, is a past recipient of the Arch Coal Award; was named the McDowell County Teacher of the Year in 2000; is a previous Potomac Region Solar Energy Educator of the Year recipient who had two students to win the national solar energy design contest in 2000; served on the executive board of the Buckskin Council Boy Scouts of America; and is a former president of the Welch Kiwanis Club.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com