Central High Science teacher receives LCSD1 Teacher of the Year Award

Central High science teacher Kim Parfitt has been selected as Laramie County School District 1’s 2019 Teacher of the Year. She was presented with the award during the LCSD1 Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, Aug. 19th.

Parfitt has taught with LCSD1 for the past 16 years, first teaching at Johnson Junior High and then moving to Central High in 2005 where she has taught AP environmental science, AP biology, honors biology, botany and zoology and astronomy.

“Mrs. Parfitt’s classroom is reliably engaging,” said Central High Principal Fred George. “While meeting state standards, Mrs. Parfitt is deliberate in engaging students with meticulously generated lesson plans. She does not waste a minute of class time.”

Parfitt holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in natural resources from Ohio State University and a Wyoming teaching certificate from the University of Wyoming. She is also a National Board Certified teacher.

“For me, science is a verb,” Parfitt said. “I also believe that humans come naturally wired to be science thinkers. It breaks my heart when kids say they aren’t good at science. With that in mind and with the district standards as my learning targets, I plan lessons that provide students with successes big and small.”

Parfitt is a teacher ambassador for Howard Hughes Medical Institute/BioInteractive as well as the National Center for Science Education. She has developed teacher trainings, presented at national conferences and written curriculum materials related to ecology, climate and evolution.
She has received many national, state and regional recognitions, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching in 2013.

“Mrs. Parfitt is an exemplary educator,” George said. “She received the National Association of Biology Teachers Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Wyoming in 2017. This honor was well-deserved but came as no surprise to those familiar with her incredible work.”

Parfitt’s name has been submitted to be considered for the Wyoming Teacher of the Year award.