Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy

JULY PROGRAM MARKS 11TH YEAR PROMOTING STEM LEARNING

AS THIS ISSUE of Oil & Gas Financial Journal goes to print, thousands are packing their bags, gearing up for a week of fun-filled learning and camaraderie. But this isn't your standard summer camp for kids. This particular assembly is for the grown-ups-specifically, teachers. More than 150 elementary school teachers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been selected from more than 1,500 applications to attend the 2015 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.

The week-long, all-expense-paid, professional development program serves to equip third- through fifth-grade teachers with the tools needed to teach science and math in ways that engage and inspire students. The program focuses on using real-world examples and hands-on experiments to build teacher and student excitement for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

According to recent test scores from the Programme for International Student Assessment, the US ranks 21st in science and 26th in math when compared to other OECD nations. Looking ahead 10 years, nearly all of the 30 fastest-growing occupations are expected to require a STEM background to some degree, noted The Business Center for a College- and Career-Ready America.

Academy instructor Ramona Chang works with elementary teachers on new ways to engage students.

ExxonMobil, a company with more than 18,000 scientists and engineers, and PGA golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, through the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation -all champions for enhanced education, came together in 2005 to pursue a program designed to ignite and solidify an interest and passion for math and science in young students in an effort to prepare them for STEM-related careers.

Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy launched in in 2005 in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions, two of the nation's leading teacher-training organizations. Looking for a unique approach to student encouragement, the Academy set its sights on teachers, designing a program to inspire educators with interactive teaching tools that could then be used to ignite students' passion for math and science.

"Amy and I understand firsthand the influence teachers have on students," Phil Mickelson said. "We are excited to see not only the initial inspiration that comes from the Academy week, but also the additional activity from classrooms when teachers apply what they've learned to help their students understand, engage and truly be inspired about STEM subjects."

Attendees of the 2015 program, held in New Jersey from July 27-31, were selected based on their qualifications, dedication to inspiring students, and overall commitment to enhancing the teaching profession through a submission process initiated on www.sendmyteacher.com. During the week-long Academy, participants work with a curriculum developed by the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions.

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy aims to deepen teachers' understanding of mathematics and science content in the areas of : data and statistics, measurement, force and motion; build expertise in facilitating student learning through problem solving and inquiry; use links between math and science to support student learning; understand how children learn and apply that to classroom instruction; build teachers' knowledge base and use of instructional resources to support students' learning; and network with others involved in elementary school mathematics and science education.

To date, more than 4,500 US teachers have trained at the academy, impacting more than 300,000 students nationwide. Since 2005, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy has provided more than 117,200 hours of math and science training to teachers from across the United States.

Extending the impact, an additional 350 teachers chosen from various communities around the country near where ExxonMobil maintains operations will attend regional academies this summer in Houston, TX, and Pittsburgh, PA.

"ExxonMobil values the importance of instilling today's students with a strong foundation in math and science, and we know teachers play a vital role in directly shaping student aptitude-and attitude-in these subjects," said Suzanne McCarron, general manager of public and government affairs, ExxonMobil. "Through partnerships like the one we have built with the Mickelsons, we're not only bringing a continued awareness to the importance and effectiveness of STEM teacher training, we're also providing a professional development program that helps lay the groundwork for teachers to prepare students for future careers in the STEM field."