New Hampshire Dept. of Education and CoderZ Recognize Highland Goffe’s Falls Elementary Educator for Excellence in STEM

This is CoderZ’s second year of presenting the “Excellence in STEM Award” to educators who use the New Hampshire Robotics Grant for STEM programs

MANCHESTER, NH, UNITED STATES, April 25, 2024 — On Tuesday, April 30, New Hampshire Department of Education (NHED) officials and CoderZ executives will visit Highland Goffe’s Falls Elementary School in Manchester, N.H. to present an “Excellence in STEM Award” to educator Kerstin Dumas who serves as the literacy specialist and robotics coach for the school. Educators from approximately 25 schools across the state were contenders for this year’s award.

This is CoderZ’s second year of presenting the “Excellence in STEM Award” to educators who use the New Hampshire Robotics Grant to produce engaging, collaborative, and equitable STEM programs for their schools. NHED issues these grants to public and public charter schools to finance the establishment of robotics teams and their participation in competitive events such as the NH CoderZ League, a statewide virtual robotics coding tournament facilitated by CoderZ.

The Excellence in STEM Award ceremony will begin with a visit to the computer room to observe Dumas’ students and how they use the CoderZ platform to learn robotics coding, collaboration, and other soft skills. Dumas will then be presented with a plaque recognizing her achievements by Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of New Hampshire Department of Education.

“We chose Kerstin for the award because her teams swept the Elementary Level in the NH CoderZ League last year, earning first, second, and third place among a total of 66 teams. They have also shown amazing academic, group, and personal growth,” said Tony Oran, CEO of CoderZ. “Not only did they succeed in collaboration and team efforts, but also individually – all of Kerstin’s students improved in their state testing scores. Six of her robotics students received a perfect 4 for math and reading on the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS), and 15 team members received Golden Tickets for academic growth.”

Dumas earned her undergraduate degree in K-8 Elementary Education and Special Education, as well as an M.Ed. as a Reading and Writing Specialist from New England College. In 2022, she was nominated for Teacher of The Year and awarded the Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teaching Award.

Grounded in STEM and coding, CoderZ trains students grades 4 and beyond in computational thinking and technical ability. Confronted with real-world problem-solving, students must adapt to advance, strengthening their inner coach and developing the skills