NASA honors Bangor teacher

WASHINGTON – A Bangor teacher is among 10 who were honored in Washington recently by the National Science Teacher’s Association and NASA.

They were selected to serve as Educational Facilitators at each of NASA’s 10 centers. These educators were invited to apply to this rigorous selection process. They were chosen based on administrator recommendation, recognized leadership in their profession, and proven excellence over time in their classrooms.

Ellen Holmes, a fourth-grade teacher at Fairmount School in Bangor, was among those honored with this title. Holmes has been named as the Educator Facilitator for Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Holmes resides in Newburgh with her husband and two children. She became an educator in 1994 and has received several honors and recognition for excellence in teaching.

Holmes is the vice president of the Bangor Education Association, and serves on the Structure and By-Laws Committee for the Maine Education Association. Last July, Holmes and 24 other educators from across the nation were selected from a pool of approximately 1,000 applicants to participate in NASA Space and Flight Training for Educators at Marshall Space and Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

While there, Holmes participated in simulated astronaut training and professional development opportunities, and received numerous resources for her classroom.

Upon her return, she was invited to join the board of directors for the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, where she has since actively worked to bring a NASA Educator Resource Center to Maine.