Melrose teacher earns STEM award

MELROSE - While the Academy Award nominations had people around the country talking on social media on Tuesday, a different kind of award was making news in eastern New Mexico.

Melrose Superintendent Jamie Widner told The News on Monday that junior and high school science teacher Alan Daugherty recently won the 2019 Excellence in STEM Award in the high school division.

"It was a nice surprise to be able to get some recognition for some of the things the students and I have been doing around the school, so it was a welcome bit of good news," Daugherty said.

"It's always an honor to be awarded any kind of recognition like this and there's a lot of great teachers around the state doing some wonderful things, so I'm proud that my students and I are getting some recognition."

Daugherty and the other winners will be honored at a ceremony on Feb. 22 at the Albuquerque Convention Center, in addition to a monetary award of $1,500.

Matthew Fetrow, director of the Air Force Research Lab Tech Engagement Office, said the awards are meant to honor New Mexico teachers, schools, students, businesses and other groups that go above and beyond to give kids extra opportunities in STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math.

Daugherty, who teaches a multitude of science subjects to all seventh through 12th grade students at Melrose, also sponsors the school's supercomputing challenge team.

Fetrow pointed to Daugherty's work with the supercomputing team and his efforts to ensure they experience other STEM activities, saying that he goes "multiple extra miles, almost literally in some of these cases, to make sure kids in that part of the state get a chance to have STEM experiences."

Widner said one story that highlights Daugherty's impact on students came in 1999 when Widner was talking to a student who recently graduated and had returned home for Christmas about what classes she was taking in college.

"She said she took chemistry and I had taken chemistry at New Mexico State and I said 'Golly, that's pretty tough.'" Widner told The News. "She said 'No it wasn't; it was just a rehash of what Mr. D taught us.' So he knew what kids needed and that's what makes him unique."

Widner said Daugherty's commitment to Melrose schools extends far outside the classroom. In addition to sponsoring the supercomputing team, he drives a bus and cooks in the concession stand at Melrose home games.

"Everything he does is Melrose schools, so you can't have much more than that," Widner said. "He's just really good at teaching and being a part of the staff. He's just ... the kind you want."

Daugherty, who was raised in Elida, was an ag teacher in Arizona before returning to New Mexico.

"I think that kind of gave me a background on a lot of hands-on activities for students and being heavily involved in student activities and what not, so I think it's been a plus for me," he said.

While the recognition is nice, Daugherty said truly the most rewarding part of teaching is the ability to impact students' lives.

"I'm always happy to see what my students go on to do and seeing some of the challenges they face and overcome and seeing how they're able to excel at the things they do," Daugherty said. "It's always a rewarding thing to get to experience some of their joys."