Posted August 5, 2011

Mark Kaercher, left, addresses Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at a roundtable discussion on educational reform last August.

Mark Kaercher, mathematics teacher at Shaker High School, has been named 2011 SEMI High Tech U Educator of the Year. The Award was presented at NYSUT headquarters in Latham by Lisa Anderson, Vice President of the SEMI Foundation and Dan Kinley, Director at NYSUT.

Kaercher serves as a facilitator of the Semi High Tech U Programs, a program that was created a decade ago designed to get more students interested in science, math, and high tech careers. Since 2001 the program has been presented to over 3,400 high school students and 650 high school teachers in the US, Austria, France, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates.

Each year the SEMI Foundation honors an educator who has participated in High Tech U, and who has
enthusiastically and selflessly devoted time and effort to help make the program a success.

"This is an oustanding achievement for Mark," Superintendent D. Joseph Corr said. "This reflects Mark's outstanding committment to teaching, learning and professional growth for the twenty-first century."

Kaercher was selected earlier this year to meet with U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, as part of a roundtable discussion focused on educational reform and teacher evaluation pilot programs.

View a video about SEMI High Tech U

“During that meeting Mark told Secretary Duncan about his experience with SEMI High Tech U, citing it as an example of the kind of program needed to help prepare our nation’s students for possible careers in the high tech industry," SEMI Foundation Vice President Lisa Anderson said. "Mark is an enthusiastic champion for our program."

"This honor is an illustration of the outstanding professionalism demonstrated by Mark and all of our staff to providing our students with the skills, knowledge and opportunities to be successful in a rapidly changing world," Corr said.