The Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel recognizes Ms. Katharine “Katy” Metzner-Roop, a P-12 educator teaching in the STEM disciplines whose work with students is exemplary. Ms. Metzner-Roop has demonstrated evidence of truly innovative teaching methods, extraordinary experiences and opportunities for students, sustained teaching excellence and motivation of students with exceptional learning outcomes for students.
Ms. Metzner-Roop grew up outside Cleveland Ohio. Her parents instilled in her a love of the outdoors and she spent many days boating and fishing. So, it was natural for her to want to pursue a degree in the marine sciences. She graduated from the College of Charleston in 1990 with a BS in Marine Biology and received her Master of Science degree from C of C (then called University of Charleston, SC) in 1993 where, she studied the genetics of shellfish.
After graduation, Katy taught at the College of Charleston as an adjunct faculty member for 8 years. She enjoyed lecturing but wanted to do more with her students. The opportunity came to pursue an alternate route to public school teaching certification through the PACE program and courses taken at The Citadel. She became certified to teach high school and, in the fall of 2000, began her career at the Academic Magnet High School.
Katy loves teaching at AMHS and is always excited to see her students. She tries to make the classroom fun and engaging by incorporating laboratories and hands-on activities, as this makes the students become active members in their learning process. Her classroom is filled with plants and animals in order to bring some of the outside world inside and closer to the students. She works with students who are in groups that are underrepresented in the sciences to encourage them to pursue STEM careers.
As soon as she started at Magnet, Katy was asked to take over the science club. It has grown from a few students who wanted to do research to an active club that regularly competes across the state and nation. The Academic Challenge team has won the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science trivia competition. The Science Olympiad team has won state and gone to Nationals twice in the last ten years. Students have presented their research at state Junior Academy of Science competitions, Junior Science and Humanities Symposiums, and the Lowcountry Science Fair. They have also gone on to Nationals for these competitions and the International Science and Engineering Fair. The science club also has an environmental component. Students participate in regular beach sweeps and coastal cleanups.
Katy is very flattered to win this award and is so thankful to the Anita Zucker Institute for Entrepreneurial Education Leadership for the honor.
We in the ZFSOE are honored to recognize educators like Katy Metzner-Roop. As a science teacher and long-time head coach of the Science Olympiad team at Academic Magnet High School, Katy’s commitment to her students is obvious in every interaction. In March, the STEM Center hosted the SC Science Olympiad tournament. Katy’s team is usually in the top 3 in the state but this year she anticipated a different outcome. The school had maintenance and painting done over break and all of the Science Olympiad team’s materials were tossed out or ruined. Katy had to start from scratch and rebuild her program from the ground up. Additionally, her students participate in a wide number of events and competitions in the community, so Katy had to juggle their schedules in order to help them be successful during the competition. Katy’s team won several individual medals and placed 2nd in the state overall. Katy was in tears at the closing ceremony praising her students and their dedication, flexibility, and persistence.