Sondra F. Wieland, a Chemistry Teacher at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, has received the 1997 Outstanding Chemistry Teacher Award from the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers at the Annual Meeting, March 23, 1997 in Charleston. This award was accompanied by a check for $50 and a plaque commemorating the award.

Sondra has been an educator in South Carolina for close to twenty years. She has taught at both the high school and college level. She has conducted numerous workshops throughout the state designed to involve more students in science and to give teachers the tools to involve students in science. In addition, she is a co-director of Teachers Leading Teachers , a National Science Foundation funded program to develop science teacher leaders in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the state.

Sondra is known to be a student-centered teacher. She actively involves her students in science in Junior Academy of Science and Discovery Fair at the SC State Fair. She is enthusiastic, energetic, and versatile in her teaching methods and her students leave the class with a wealth of information and an enthusiasm for science. As she says, Underlying all of my instruction is my passion for science and belief that all experiences should enrich, extend, and help students develop a positive attitude toward science and learning.

Lesa E. Banks, a Physical Science Teacher at Dorman High School, has received the 1997 Outstanding Physical Science Teacher Award from the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers at the Annual Meeting, March 23, 1997 in Charleston. This award was accompanied by a check for $50 and a plaque commemorating the award.

Mrs. Banks has been a science teacher in the Spartanburg area for 5 years and has been at Dorman for the past 3 years. Prior to teaching, Mrs. Banks was a medical technologist and an immunology/serology instructor. Mrs. Banks helped to organize Science Saturday when she was teaching at McCracken Junior High. This involved a day long activity for students and their parents to participate in hands-on science explorations together. She is involved in many extracurricular activities at Dorman High School and has presented several workshops for fellow teachers at South Carolina Science Council and Spartanburg Count Science Teachers Association.

When asked about her teaching philosophy, Lesa states, One student at a time or one classroom at a time, I want to convey the excitement and the love for science that I feel. Her fellow teachers remark that she is a natural teacher and that students leave her class with a desire to learn more about the world around them.

Lesa lives with her family in Spartanburg.