District Five teacher named South Carolina Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Teacher of the Year

Dutch Fork High School Science and Research Teacher Brittany Holden was named Teacher of the Year for South Carolina at the Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) on January 20. The Regional JSHS is a statewide competition at the University of South Carolina consisting of presentations by scientists and research presentations by high school students. This award honored Holden for her contribution to advancing student participation in research and for educational excellence in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

“I felt very honored to receive Teacher of the Year at the South Carolina Junior Science and Humanities Symposium,” said Holden. “Previously, I worked in the research field and now as an educator I feel like teaching the importance of research in our society is valuable to all students.”

There are 48 Regional Teachers of the Year selected by the JSHS committee nationwide and each is invited to attend the 55th National JSHS sponsored by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. The scientific and educational program will be held on April 26-30 in San Diego, California and the National JSHS Teacher of the Year will be announced at the event.

Many of Holden’s students entered their research into the South Carolina JSHS competition and thirteen of her students placed in the top three in their presentation rooms. One of her students, Eric Chen, advanced to the final round and placed first overall at the Regional JSHS competition qualifying him to attend the National JSHS in April. Holden added, “I love that my students can choose a project that they are truly interested in and learn more about a topic they love.”

Dutch Fork High School Principal Dr. Greg Owings was proud of Mrs. Holden’s recognition. “We have awesome Teachers at Dutch Fork High School. We are so proud that Mrs. Holden was recognized with the South Carolina Teacher of the Year Award at the recent Department of Defense Junior Science and Humanities Symposium competition due to the overall high quality and caliber of the research projects presented by her students,” said Dr. Owings. “Mrs. Holden consistently challenges her students to excel with their research by providing high quality rigorous instruction and collaborative support to her students.”