[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING ANNE MARIE BERGEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Anne Marie Bergen of 
Oakdale, California. Ms. Bergen was selected to receive the 2010 
Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. 
She has made outstanding contributions to the teaching and learning of 
mathematics and science.
  Ms. Bergen has spent 24 years teaching in Oakdale and has played an 
influential source in improving the education for students in 
Stanislaus County. She has served as the Gifted and Talented Teacher 
and Coordinator, Science Mentor, Science Olympiad Coach and District 
Science Fair Coordinator. As the District Science Teacher, she 
developed and created a laboratory and field-based science program. 
This program has helped to educate 2,000 students and train 120 
teachers annually. Since 2009, Ms. Bergen has served as the chair of 
CalTAC, a STEM teaching advisory council.
  Currently, Ms. Bergen is a Teacher in Residence at the California 
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in the Biological 
Sciences Department. She works to train Liberal Studies undergraduate 
students, seeking to become K-12 teachers, on how to effectively 
instruct science classes and laboratory experiments. Additionally she 
is working to reshape the curriculum in several courses targeted to 
future classroom teachers.
  Ms. Bergen's teaching philosophy is ``Active Learning, Meaningful 
Experiences, and Compassionate Teaching.'' The unique teaching style 
Ms. Bergen uses the natural connection students have with experiential 
learning and has incorporated it into successful education programs. 
Through using hikes, nature and the outside world, she has created an 
effective curriculum that has led her students to excel in the areas of 
science and mathematics. Additionally, Ms. Bergen actively works to 
share her successful educational methods so that other teachers can 
effectively teach their students using her experiential learning model. 
It is without question that Ms. Bergen is compassionate and dedicated 
to providing quality education for our youth.
  In addition to receiving the 2010 Presidential Award for Excellence, 
Ms. Bergen has been a recipient of many awards for her dedication to 
teaching. These awards include the Amgen Award for Science Teaching 
Excellence in 2006, Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year in 2002 and 
Woman of Distinction in Education by Soroptimist International in 2002 
and 2003. Additionally she was awarded the distinguished California 
Teacher of the Year Award in 2003.
  I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring Anne Marie Bergen on 
receiving the 2010 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and 
Science Teaching.

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