Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds

Fellowship Placement: Naval Surface Warfare Center - Carderock Division
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Debbie Reynolds has over 25 years of teaching experience as a science, math, STEM and gifted educator. She started her teaching career in 1986 upon earning a B.S. in Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University. Family relocations provided Debbie with experience in multiple districts in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania, before coming to the Baldwin-Whitehall School District in Pittsburgh, PA eleven years ago. Currently, as the STEM Integration Specialist at Harrison Middle School, Debbie works with her fellow teachers to integrate STEM into every classroom. She has been transforming the school library into a makerspace to provide students with a place to build on collaboration, problem-solving, and communications skills, and she received a Lowe’s Education Grant to create a parent engagement area. Additionally, Debbie serves as the Flight Director for the IKS Highlander, which is an immersive, interactive simulator with missions that integrate into the classroom curriculum. Since arriving at the middle school four years ago, Debbie has been the science fair coordinator, mentored SeaPerch underwater Robotics teams - earning two bids to Nationals, and recently introduced the FIRST LEGO Robotics program into her school. In March 2017, Debbie and a small team of teachers planned and hosted the district’s first K-8 STEM night with over 1000 participants the first year, and it is now an annual district-wide event. Previously, Debbie taught for seven years as the high school gifted coordinator; creating a dynamic, STEM-based program from the ground up and reaching over 250 students each year. Students participated in programs such as BotsIQ Battlebots, Quiz Bowl, Chain Reaction Competition, and Euro Challenge-earning a trip to nationals three times. In addition to helping author the curriculum for the eighth grade STEM class, Debbie is passionate about providing students with STEM opportunities beyond the classroom and encourages students’ participation in numerous STEM competitions, challenges, and other project-based learning opportunities. This passion for STEM education led Debbie to pursue a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a STEM emphasis from Concordia University of Portland in 2015 and a School Principal Certification (K-12) from Point Park University in 2018.

Debbie was recently awarded the 2019 Carnegie Science Award as Middle Level Educator; having earned the Honorable Mention award the previous year. She was recognized as the Junior Achievement Educator of the Year in 2015, a Chevron Leaders in the Classroom in 2017, a featured speaker at the 2017 TRETC conference and was asked to lead a workshop again in 2018. A Google-Certified Educator, Debbie is active with Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications and Technology (PAECT) as a Keystone Technology Innovator (KTI) Star, and has led workshops for teachers at both the KTI state summit as a Lead Learner, and also two SWPAECT mini Keys events. Debbie remains very involved in STEM and space opportunities through Space Center Houston, where she is in her third year on the Space Educator Expedition Crew. She is a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, a Honeywell Educator at Space Academy awardee, a Teacher Liaison through the Space Foundation and also presented at the inaugural SPACE Conference at Kennedy Space Center in 2018. In 2018, Debbie traveled to Shenzhen, China for a month, where she introduced the SeaPerch program and robotics at a summer STEM camp. Prior to beginning her fellowship at NAVSEA, Debbie participated in the Teachers Air Camp for National Educators, Space University-Mission Control at Space Center Houston, and returned to China during the summer of 2019. Debbie looks forward to sharing her education and teaching experience, her passion for STEM, and her enthusiasm for providing opportunities to students and teachers to enhance and extend the mission of the STEM outreach program of Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock at both the local and national level.