Henrico educator awarded $10,000, White House invitation

Carrie Persing, a teacher at the MathScience Innovation Center in Henrico County, will receive a $10,000 prize and has a good chance to meet President Barack Obama during a trip to Washington this fall.

"I think I'm more excited about meeting the president than getting the $10,000," said Persing, who voted for Obama. "That's history."

Persing was one of two winning teachers in Virginia for the 2009 Presidential Award for Science, Math and Engineering Teaching announced last month. The other Virginia teacher is Sandra Kelish of Rocky Run Elementary School in Stafford County.

Each year, teachers from across the country are selected by a panel of scientists, mathematicians and educators after an initial selection process at the state level.

This year, 87 teachers will receive $10,000 awards from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also get an expenses-paid trip to Washington for a White House awards ceremony and several days of educational and celebratory events, including visits with members of Congress and science-agency leaders.

Persing, who began her teaching career 15 years ago in Petersburg, was a math teacher at Harrowgate Elementary School in Chester last year when a colleague nominated her for the award.

Persing will take her husband, Chris, who teaches special education at Chester Middle School, to Washington. Their daughter, Morgan, who attends Curtis Elementary School, won't be going.

"She's bummed that she's not going," Persing said.

But Persing said she'll use part of the $10,000 for a family trip to Disney World as a reward for the sacrifices her husband and daughter have made while allowing her to accomplish things in the past few years, including graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May with a master's degree as a math specialist, she said.

"My daughter is so excited," she said.

The White House has not given an exact date for the ceremony, Persing said. All she knows is that it will be in the fall.

"I'm really looking forward to it, getting to meet all the math and science teachers who have won," she said. "You also hear about . . . Congress. I'll actually get to see it and talk to some of them."

There will also be a ceremony in the White House's Rose Garden, where teachers could meet Obama, his wife, Michelle, or Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

"I hope [Obama's] not out of town that day," Persing said.

She and her husband have been busy shopping for clothes for the events, including a gala.

"I've gotten plenty of outfits for the week, but not the dress," she said. "It's got to be something special."

The White House trip and the prize are icing on the cake, Persing said.

"I think the highlight is getting an award of this caliber for doing something I love," she said. "It's hard for me to fathom that I got that. That not only a teacher thought I was worthy of being nominated, but now someone as high as the president says, 'Yes, you deserve this honor.'"

Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or .