EDUCATOR
NAMED
CARNEGIE
SCIENCE
AWARD
WINNER
A
lison Francis has had a
passion for early childhood
education since she began
her career in teaching.
When studying for her master’s degree,
she said she discovered project-based
learning and has always incorporated
it into her lessons with her young
learners. As a result of her innovative
teaching, Mrs. Francis has been named
the 2017 Carnegie Science Center’s
Elementary Educator Award winner.
Mrs. Francis, the facilitator of Fox
Chapel Area School District’s Creativity
and Literacy Program since 2013, was
nominated for the award by Megan
Cicconi, the district’s director of
instructional and innovative leadership.
Mrs. Francis was selected as a leader
in both STEM- (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) and
maker-education. She has dedicated her
career to making science accessible to
young learners and she described STEM-
based instruction as “a great way to make
learning come alive for students.” Mrs.
Francis developed the Creativity and
Literacy Program for young children
and their caregivers to experiment with
technology tools. Additionally, she also
established a Digital Dream Studio at
O’Hara Elementary for students and
teachers to explore game-based learning
together.
A few years back, when Mrs. Francis
heard that the district received a $20,000
grant from the Allegheny Intermediate
Unit to be put toward STEM-education
for early childhood, she knew the
Creativity and Literacy Program would
benefit. “It excited me in that there was
an opportunity to create a program that
no other school district had to engage
young children and their parents,” she
said. “I like the idea of project-based
learning and doing cross-curricular
lessons that engage the students.”
According to Mrs. Cicconi, Mrs.
Francis is a regional leader in both early
childhood and elementary education.
“Her expertise in providing opportunities
for students to engage with STEM-
concepts is unrivaled, and we are grateful
to the Carnegie Science Center, Eaton,
26 Fox Chapel Area
and Chevron for recognizing her with
this prestigious award.”
Mrs. Francis was among a total of seven
people recognized for their leadership
in education in the region. She was
presented with the award by Chevron
during a formal celebration at Carnegie
Music Hall in Oakland May 12.
“I’m excited that I am being recognized
for the innovative programming that I’ve
been able to create with the support of
the district,” stated Mrs. Francis, who
began her career in the Fox Chapel Area
School District teaching kindergarten at
Fairview Elementary School in 2009. In
2013 she developed the district’s STEM-
based Creativity and Literacy Program,
located at Kerr Elementary, for young
learners and their caregivers.
The Carnegie Science Center established
the Carnegie Science Awards program
in 1997 to recognize and promote
outstanding science and technology
achievements in Western Pennsylvania.
The awards program was sponsored this
year by Eaton.