Amanda Sellers
Clinton High School science teacher attends national conference
Amanda Sellers participated in her first science fair when she was in the fifth grade. She taught a goldfish to swim through a maze.
“I won first place in my category and first place overall,” she said, smiling. “I also competed in junior high science fairs my eighth- and ninth-grade years. I won second place for my paper at the regional science fair my eighth-grade year.
“My favorite project is still my fifth-grade project because I had so much fun doing it, and it made me come to love science even more,” she said.
Sellers, 35, now teaches science at Clinton High School and tries to encourage her students to embrace participating in science fairs just as she did when she was younger. She recently attended a conference in Washington, D.C., that has given her some ideas on how to encourage students to do the research necessary for good science-fair projects.
Sellers was among 200 science teachers who attended the Society for Science and the Public’s Research Teachers Conference on Sept. 28-30 in the nation’s capital. The conference, sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, included teachers from 43 states and Puerto Rico. Sellers was one of two teachers selected to attend from Arkansas.
“We are so proud that Mrs. Sellers was selected to participate in this conference in Washington, D.C.,” said Joe Fisher, Clinton School District superintendent. “She not only provides excellent instruction for Clinton High School science students, but she genuinely seeks out ‘best practices’ for teaching and reaching all of her science students.”
Sellers was one of 200 teachers selected out of 2,000 who applied.
“I filled out an application that asked about the school district’s makeup and what we were doing in terms of research and science fairs,” she said.
“This was my first time to apply. It’s really competitive. Some teachers there had applied several times and had just been accepted. I was accepted the first time,” Sellers said.
“At the conference, we had several speakers who inspired us to keep emphasizing the importance of research in our schools,” she said. “The speakers included Kumar Garg, who worked with President Obama in the Office of Science and Technology; Dr. Lisa Purcell, who is a senior staff scientist for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; and Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science and the Public Research (a nonprofit organization focused on prompting the understanding and appreciation of science and the publisher of Science News and Science News for Kids).
“These speakers emphasized how research promotes literacy skills, enhances scientific knowledge, involves understanding of math and statistics, and broadens students’ worldviews. During the conference, we attended six different breakout sessions that were hosted by teachers from across the country. In these breakout sessions, they shared with us their best practices, research methods and many other tools that will aid in challenging our students to become better researchers and competitors in science fairs.”
Sellers said Clinton High School and Clinton Junior High School hosted their first schoolbased science fair in 2017.
“A total of approximately 25 students participated in that first science fair,” she said. “It included seventh-grade pre[Advanced Placement] students from Holly Johnson’s class and my three AP biology students.”
Sellers said her goal in attending the recent conference was “not only to learn more about the various research methods happening across the country, but also to understand how to help our students become serious competitors in local, regional and national science fairs.”
“I also went with the goal in mind to improve our local science fair and to gain resources to aid our students in their research and actual projects,” she said. “I learned that what we really need are local resources and mentors to be successful.”
Sellers, who lives in Greenbrier, is in her eighth year of teaching at Clinton High School. She teaches biology, preAP biology and AP biology. She also sponsors the science club, is the chairwoman of the science department and is a member of the school district’s professional learning community and a teacher mentor.
A graduate of Conway High School, she received a bachelor’s degree in science from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia in 2005, an associate degree in surgical technology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Heath Professions in 2008 and a Master of Arts degree in teaching from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 2009.
She said she became interested in medicine while she was in college.
“I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor or nurse. I just wanted to explore my options. I chose UAMS. After graduating, I worked as a surgical assistant in the operating room, … handing tools to the doctor, doing some suturing,” Sellers said.
“I had a friend who went to UAM who thought I might be interested in becoming a teacher and still involve my love of science. I thought, ‘Well, maybe,’ … but that’s what I did, and here I am. I love what I am doing,” she said.
“My first teaching job was at J.A. Fair High School in Pulaski County. I worked there for three years. I made the move to Clinton in 2011. I wanted a change in atmosphere and culture. That was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Sellers said.
“I hope to expand our community involvement with our students. I hope to find more people to help these students to progress with their research and test their sciencefair projects. We are limited here with our resources. We have been fortunate to have had some mentors, but we need more,” she said.
“We need mentors in all areas: physics, mechanical engineering, agriculture, health fields, veterinarians and education,” Sellers said. “I would love to find local mentors within our own community to further promote local involvement in education and provide our students with more opportunities to compete at higher levels of science fairs.
“Winning science fairs allows our students countless opportunities for advancement by obtaining recognition, scholarship awards and even college recruitment. I will be working hard to put into practice all that I learned over the course of the conference to ensure our students have an opportunity to benefit from their involvement in research and participation in science fairs.”
Sellers said this year’s school science fair will take place Feb. 1 in the school auditorium. It is part of the AP curriculum in both the junior high and high schools. She said approximately 65 students will compete in the event.
“The top-three winners of our local science fair will advance to the regional science fair at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on March 1,” she said. “Then all seven of my AP biology students will go to the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium on March 8 at Arkansas Tech University; that competition is only for ninththrough 12th-grade students. All exhibits are poster exhibits. That’s why research is so important.
“I make my students pick their own topics for the science fair. I tell them to choose something they are familiar with or something they are passionate about. They are working on the projects now. They need to have the research done before Christmas break.”
Two seniors at Clinton High School recently told visitors about their science-fair projects.
Georgia Dunham is testing fertilizers to see which one has the best outcome. She has a personal interest in this subject, as she and her family have a farm.
“I am trying to see if organic is better for the environment,” she said. “We have a garden and have had chickens. We are hoping to get the chickens back, along with some cows.”
Dunham hopes to become a pharmacist.
Joey Smith is using a voltmeter to test the electrolytes inside energy drinks.
“If you convert some of those electrolytes to electricity, you would have enough to jump-start a car,” he said. “I do not drink them,” he said, adding that he is in the band and is the drum major. He plans to study nursing in college and hopes to become an emergency-room nurse.
The Clinton science fair will be open to the public from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 1. For more information on the science fair, call the Clinton School District at (501) 745-6000.