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Mukhtar M. Ibrahim

2 MN teachers win president's excellence award

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Leif Carlson and Peter Bohacek
President Obama Wednesday named Leif Carlson, left, of Jefferson Community School in Minneapolis, and Peter Bohacek, right, of Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights, as recipients of Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, according to a press release from the White House.
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Two Minnesota science and math teachers will be honored in Washington this summer with a prestigious national teaching award.

President Obama Wednesday named Leif Carlson, of Jefferson Community School in Minneapolis, and Peter Bohacek, of Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights, as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, according to a press release from the White House.

Bohacek and Carlson are among 108 teachers across the country who will receive their awards in Washington this summer. The honor comes with a $10,000 prize from the National Science Foundation, to be used at the teachers' discretion.

Bohacek has taught physics for 12 years. An electrical engineer by training, the father of three resigned from the industry, went back to school and got a license to teach high school physics.

"I absolutely love [teaching]," he said. "It's the best choice I've ever made."

In the past five years, Bohacek has been working on a video project that allows students to explore physics-related topics.

Direct Measurement Videos collaborates with high school teachers and college professors across the country. The online videos are used by students and teachers worldwide.

"I think that was part of the reason that I was selected," he said. "I'm hopeful that this award will help grow recognition, not for me as a teacher, but also for this project."

Carlson, a middle school math teacher at Jefferson for the past 14 years, has previously taught in Peru and Sierra Leone.

"In 18 years, I've had a chance to work with students from around the world and get to know many cultures," he said. "As a result I'm a better person from all that work that I've done with those students."

Carlson, a father of three, said he'll take a leave of absence in the coming school year to develop a farm in Wisconsin.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is given annually to outstanding K-12 science and math teachers from across the country. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process at the state level.