Patterson Wins Biology Award
Athens Academy faculty member Richard Patterson has been named the Outstanding Biology Teacher for the state of Georgia by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT). He was presented with the award on August 21 by Audra Brown Ward, director of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award Program for Georgia.
Mr. Patterson has been teaching at Athens Academy for 31 years, during which time he has received the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (1988) and the prestigious Siemens Award (2007) and has been named STAR teacher several times. Mr. Patterson has served as an AP Biology consultant and instructor, written questions for the AP Biology exam, authored activities for the AP Biology Laboratory Manual, and written articles for American Biology Teacher, the NABT journal for high school teachers.
Every year, the NABT attempts to identify an excellent biology instructor in each of the 50 states, as well as Canada, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and overseas territories. Candidates for this award do not have to be NABT members, but they must have at least three years public, private, or parochial school teaching experience. A major portion of the nominee's career must have been devoted to the teaching of biology/life science, and candidates are judged on their teaching ability and experience, cooperativeness in the school and community, inventiveness, initiative, and student-teacher relationships.