Kayla Sutcliffe
BAE '13, MED '14 | Gainesville, FL
TITLE: Teacher
COMPANY: Alachua County School District
INDUSTRY: Education
Honored as 2019 Teacher of the Year at Glen Springs Elementary School, in Gainesville, Kayla teaches math to gifted students in grades 1-5 , challenging them to use math skills to solve real-world problems. She also holds gifted, reading and ESOL endorsements from the State of Florida, and is a leader in the Sunshine State’s push to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
As STEM trainer for her Florida district, Kayla helps elementary teachers carry out immersive STEM activities in the classroom. For the past two summers, she has participated in the NSF-funded Multidisciplinary Research Experiences for Teachers program at UF, which brings together K-5 teachers, engineering faculty and students, and industry professionals to cultivate the next generation of STEM professionals in North Central Florida. In 2019, she presented at the conferences of the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Science Teaching Association.
Her publication credits include units in “Teach Engineering,” a standards-based digital collection of engineering activities for elementary classrooms; her popular lessons include “Silkworm Strength,” “Keeping Damp in a Drought” and “Stop Freewheeling Using Friction.”
Based in Gainesville, Kayla graduated cum laude from UF with bachelor’s (2013) and master’s degrees (2014) in elementary education.
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