FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University Isabelle Farrington College of Education alumnus Sean Serafino, who teaches third grade at Monroe Elementary School, has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for Connecticut at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“I was honored to receive the Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching,” said Serafino, who also is an adjunct education professor at SHU. “This is the most prestigious award an elementary science teacher can earn. I was happy for myself, but also grateful for the amazing students and colleagues that I have had the fortune of working with in Monroe since I student-taught there in 2004.”
Serafino is Monroe Elementary School’s technology integrator. He also sits on the district’s professional development committee and curriculum council, and he serves on his school’s data team.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are “the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science teaching. The awards recognize those who develop and implement a high quality instructional program that is informed by content knowledge and enhances student learning,” according to the PAEMST website. Congress established the award in 1982; typically, 108 exemplary teachers are chosen for recognition each year.
Serafino accepted his award at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. He said he was joined by 103 other elementary teachers from across the nation. “We were all nominated for this award in 2016 and have been patiently waiting for two years,” he said. Each recipient received a citation and letter from President Donald Trump, which were bestowed by Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the president and deputy U.S. chief technology officer for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and France A. Córdova, an astrophysicist and director of the National Science Foundation.
Serafino, 35, of Stratford, said he toured the White House and met leaders from the National Science Foundation and National Science Teachers Association during his trip.
His fascination with science began when he was a child, he said. “While I enjoy teaching all subject areas, science has always felt like a glue that holds all academic areas together. Students are so engaged by hands-on science learning. It works well to tie reading, writing and math into science content areas,” Serafino said.
Having earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2004, his master’s degree in elementary education in 2005 and his Sixth Year Certificate of Advanced Study in science leadership from SHU, he credits the University for much of his success.
“Sacred Heart gave me an amazing education,” Serafino said. “Between the knowledge I gained from my professors and the student-teaching and internship experiences, I went into my first year of teaching feeling thoroughly prepared to start my teaching career. The professors at SHU provided real-world, up-to-date instruction that prepared me for my own classroom. The sixth-year program changed my career. I gained the tools to transform my classroom in an inquiry-based, 21st-century learning environment.”
Serafino said that when he was hired as an adjunct professor in 2013, he was happy to share how his experiences as a student at SHU transformed him into a successful educator.
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About Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University, the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its main campus in Fairfield, Conn., located less than 60 miles from Manhattan and approximately 150 miles from Boston. With its five miles of shoreline, marinas, parks, open space and plenty of shopping and fine dining, Fairfield is consistently recognized as a top community in the Northeast in which to live. In 2018 the town earned an A+ in a ‘report card’ by Niche on “Best Places to Live” in Connecticut. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. It comprises more than 300 acres of land, including an 18-hole golf course and the former global headquarters of General Electric. Rooted in the 2000-year-old Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, Sacred Heart embraces a vision for social justice and educates students in mind, body and spirit to prepare them personally and professionally to make a difference in the global community. More than 8,500 students attend the University’s six colleges: Arts & Sciences; Health Professions; Nursing; the Jack Welch College of Business; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; and St. Vincent’s College. Consistently recognized for excellence, The Princeton Review includes SHU in its guides, Best 382 Colleges–2018 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Best College Theater” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. U.S.News & World Report ranks SHU in its Best Colleges 2018 guidebook and calls SHU the fourth “Most Innovative School” in the North. The Chronicle of Higher Education also names SHU one of the fastest-growing Roman Catholic universities in its 2016 almanac. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu