Samantha Stickley

Samantha Stickley (she/her) is a secondary science teacher at San Marcos Middle School in the San Marcos Unified School District. Currently, she teaches 7th grade science and is the department chair, mentors Residents (student teachers) and new teachers in the induction program. Samantha was recently recognized as a finalist for California’s 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching and her department was recognized by the 2023 Knowledge Matters Campaign for pioneering the adoption of high-quality science curricula and serve as models of implementation for school systems nationwide.  She was also featured in a STEM4real podcast in June 2023 for how her partnership with her administrator led to transformational changes at her school.  Samantha is a leader in NGSS implementation, particularly with how it allows for the inclusion of ALL STUDENTS in understanding the world around them through hands-on exploration of phenomena.  Currently, she is focused on learning more about assessment through her partnerships with SDCOE and the OpenSciEd Research Community.  Samantha also provides professional development to teachers across the country in partnership with OpenSciEd and Carolina Biological.