Haines was named a 2024 Teacher of the Year from TechPoint Foundation for Youth

A BCSC teacher was recently recognized for her contributions to STEM Education.

Smith Elementary School’s Lisa Haines was named a 2024 Teacher of the Year from TechPoint Foundation for Youth, an Indianapolis-non profit that organizes various programming to encourage interest in STEM learning among students K-12.

The award recognizes Haines’ “dedication to inspiring the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, specifically for underrepresented students.”

Aside from her job at STEM teacher at Smith, Haines has been influential in the growth of BCSC robotics over the past two years as event partner and a coach for the Smith Elementary Sonic Cyborgs.

Haines was notified of the honor during a school assembly on May 21 where TechPoint’s Jaime Inskeep presented her the award.

“I am deeply honored to receive this honor from TechPoint,” Haines said. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of so many individuals and I’m grateful for their help. Techpoint is a champion in the state for helping to build STEM programs, including here at BCSC.”

Assisted in part by a $16,000 grant from Cummins, Haines helped organize two VEX robotics events at BCSC schools this year. TechPoint provided every BCSC school that wanted to have a robotics team with one robot, one game board and one field set.

The number of BCSC robotics teams have grown from three teams at the start of 2023 to 27 teams this year. Seven of those teams earned bids to the Indiana Robotics State Championship for VEX robotics this year including:

• Team 59813A Super Sonics, Smith Elementary
• Team 59813B Sonic Cyborgs, Smith Elementary
• Team 84636A Pirate Robotics, Parkside Elementary
• Team 59813Y Electro Power Kids, Smith Elementary
• Team 42354A Southside VEX-Stangs, Southside Elementary
• Team 59813C Central Circuit Breakers, Central Middle School
• Team 47201A ChargerBots, Central Middle School

The Sonic Cyborgs have performed well enough in the state competition to earn consecutive bids to the VEX Robotics World Championship held in Dallas.