Cosgriff teacher nominated for national award

Intermountain Catholic

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Jim Larson, shown teaching a science class at J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School, is one of the three finalists from Utah for the Presidential Teaching Award in science. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School teacher Jim Larson has been chosen as one of three Utah finalists for the Presidential Teaching Award in science, administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House.

Of the three finalists chosen by the Utah State Office of Education, one will receive a Presidential Award, "the nation’s highest honor for U.S. mathematics and science teachers in grades K through 12," according to the Utah State Office of Education press release.

Three other Utah teachers were named state finalists in mathematics.

Although Larson teaches both math and science at Cosgriff, he was pleased to be nominated for the science award. In his written application for the award, he stressed how he integrates both subjects, which he said may have set him apart from other nominees.

"A key component of my instructional approach to teaching science is the frequent integration of mathematics in data analysis," he wrote.

Another factor that may have set him apart was the success his students have had in science fairs. For the past five years, Cosgriff students have won the best overall 8th-grade category in the diocesan science fair; for the past four years, a Cosgriff student has taken the top overall award.

In addition, last year nine of the 10 Cosgriff students who participated in the Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair placed either first or second in their respective category. Also last year, five of Larson’s students were invited to participate in the Broadcom MASTERS national middle school science fair competition; Cosgriff students received half of the nominations to advance to the national level.

The written application was only part of the package; a video and letters of recommendation also were included. Two students from Judge Memorial Catholic High School’s new media class taped Larson teaching a class to show not only his teaching style but also his students’ responses. The letters of recommendation were from Cosgriff Principal Betsy Hunt, student Sierra Pond and parent Kathleen J. Brown, who also is director of the University of Utah Reading Clinic.

"When one sits in his classroom, the energy is palpable," Hunt wrote. "Every lesson is carefully prepared and tailored to his audience, complete with the sports reference for the football lover who no longer stares out the window and the analogy to a Shakespeare play for the bookworm who used to think that math wasn’t her thing."

Pond was equally complimentary. As an honors chemistry student at Judge, "I have been able to use my knowledge of the scientific method that Mr. Larson taught me to better my experience in this lab-based class," she wrote.

Likewise, Brown complimented not only Larson’s broad subject knowledge but also his commitment, noting that he often can be found tutoring students before and after school and during lunch.

Teaching is a second career for Larson, who spent 21 years in the petroleum industry. When the company he worked for was sold, he enrolled in a program that would allow him to earn his teaching credentials while working in the classroom. The summer before he began at Cosgriff, he read a textbook on the methods of teaching science because, although he felt comfortable with the content knowledge, he was concerned about his ability to be an effective teacher.

"I think that’s also helped me be successful – I’m not content with delivering content information unless I’ve reached the broad spectrum of learners in the classroom," he said.

He chose to teach at Cosgriff because all three of his children attended the school and he wanted to give back to his community, he said.

Now fully credentialed, he is in his eighth year as a teacher.

If Larson is selected for the Presidential Award, his prize includes a cash stipend, a trip to Washington, D.C., and "hopefully meeting with the president," he said.

Meanwhile, he is honored to be one of the state finalists. "Everybody loves an ‘atta-boy,’ but this isn’t about ‘atta-boys’ for me, it’s about … our Catholic school system being front and center," he said.