It took several years, but Erica Huggard has received a national honor for her work in the classroom.
A biology teacher at Emporia High, Huggard was recently bestowed the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching — the nation’s highest honor for engineering, math, science and technology teachers. This is officially part of the 2021 award cycle. Huggard was a finalist in 2019 and resubmitted two years later.
Huggard has been a biology teacher at Emporia High for 18 years. She has also been a finalist for Kansas Teacher of the Year. a Kansas Master Teacher. She has also earned teaching excellence recognition from the Kansas National Education Association and California Casualty.
As part of the award, Huggard receives $10,000 from the National Science Foundation; a trip to Washington, DC to celebrate her accomplishment while networking with fellow STEM teachers and engaging in professional development activities; and a signed certificate from President Joe Biden.
Huggard will join KVOE’s 8:05 am newscast.
