Mike Kennedy
Department of Energy
Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists
Illinois – Grades 11-12, Honors and AP Physics
Mike Kennedy graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in mathematics and also completed the requirements for a degree in physics. For the next four years, he taught physics and mathematics at Marist High School in Chicago. During this time, he earned his MA in mathematics education from St. Xavier University. In 2000, he moved to Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois, where he teaches physics and also holds the Assistant Science Department Chair position.
Kennedy is a National Board Certified Teacher in Physics and is also certified to teach chemistry and mathematics. To increase science education in his district, Kennedy created and taught a series of after school classes in Physics and STEM education for middle school students. This combination of disciplines and developing science education at the elementary and middle school levels are some of Kennedy’s passions.
Early in Kennedy’s career, he was part of the Young Scholars Program to teach advanced mathematics to middle and high school students. However, the focus of the program was on female students and minority students that are underrepresented in mathematics and science. From that time on, Kennedy took the charge to increase the diversity of students in his classroom and his outside programs and has been very successful in doing so.
Kennedy has won several awards for his teaching, including the 2004-2005 Physics Teacher of the Year from the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers and the Ellis Steinberg Award for Pre-College Science Teaching from the Argonne National Laboratory. He has received several grants to pursue educational projects, including one from the Department of Energy to study radioactivity in the classroom. Recently Kennedy was named as one of the top 50 mathematics and science Advanced Placement teachers in the country by the College Board and the Siemens Corporation. Kennedy will be working for the Department of Energy in the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists.
Outside of the normal school day, Kennedy is the Head Boys Track and Field coach for Neuqua Valley High School as well as a founder of the Naperville Track Club. Kennedy was named Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association North Division Coach of the Year for Class AA in 2006.