Jeff Gill
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com

South Hall teacher Susan Collins will spend a good chunk of her summer vacation getting ready for the classroom next year. 

It doesn't hurt that one of those educational trips is to Hawaii. 

The Christa McAuliffe Fellowship Program has named Collins, a science teacher at South Hall Middle School, as one of two Georgia Christa McAuliffe Fellows for 2001-02. 

The federally funded Council of Chief State School Officers administers the program, which is named for Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died on the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986. 

Upon hearing she was named a fellow, "I was ecstatic," Collins said. 

"I was given a choice to implement a program or do some kind of sabbatical. I chose to do the program. I've been trying to get technology into the classroom, and this was a way to do it." 

The program enables and encourages outstanding teachers to continue their education, develop innovative programs and engage in educational activities that will improve their knowledge and skills and the students' education.

Collins has developed a project, "Using Sensors to Apply Mathematics in Science," to explore such life-affecting topics as water quality and weather through integrating mathematics, science and technology. 

Her students will collect data using sensors in the areas of meteorology, geology and hydrology. 

"When students are working as teams on hands-on activities that involve solving real-world problems, they will be able to see the relevance of tasks and be more motivated to perform in math and science," she said. 

She's a big believer in interactive teaching, especially when it's combined with technology and students working in teams. "It will help students later when they go out in the work force and have those kinds of experiences," she said. 

Collins will receive $14,000 to buy equipment and pay for training to implement the project. 

She said she plans to buy a high-tech projector and six laptop computers. Training will include learning how to use hand-held sensors. 

Collins and Charlotte Little, a math teacher at the school, received the Verizon GIFT Grant in 2000, which awarded them $15,000 -- $8,000 for technology-related equipment and $3,500 each for training. 

They spent the $8,000 on one laptop computer and a projector. But there was the need for more equipment, such as another projector. 

"And when you're out in the field, one laptop isnot conducive for 24 students," she said. 

Collins will spend her $3,500 to attend Project LAVA in Hawaii. 

As part of her preparation, she also will attend the American Meteorological Society Summer Institute Project at the U.S. National Weather Service Training Center in Kansas City, Mo. The center chose her to be among 25 teachers nationwide to attend the summer program. 

The fellowship program invites participants to attend a conference in Washington, D.C., in July or August 2002. "Everybody gets to talk about what they did," Collins said. 

Pat Barrett, assistant principal at South Hall Middle, said she initially received information about the program and passed it on to Collins. 

"She's dynamic," she said. "She is focused on student learning. ... She has all the characteristics that all educators should possess -- excellent leadership skills, rapport with students, communication with parents -- and she is involved in the community." 

 Susan Collins, a teacher at South Hall Middle School, is one of two
 Georgia recipients for the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship for the
 2001-02 school year.

Busy Teacher

Here's a brief profile of Susan Collins: 

Lives: South Hall 

Family: She and husband Danny have four children. 

On the job: She has spent 10 of her 18 years as a teacher in Hall County. 

Education: She earned her bachelor's degree in 1984 from Wesleyan College, Macon; master's, 1986, Mercer University, Macon; and specialist degree, 1988, Georgia Southwestern College, Americus. She is pursuing her doctorate in science education at the University of Georgia, Athens. 

Other: She received National Board Certification in 1997.