Lory Heron teaches chemistry and physics at Reno's Procter Hug High School. Ms. Heron grants that her own enthusiasm for her subject matter is an essential element of her success in the classroom. Because enthusiasm is contagious, Ms. Heron can convince her students to "work harder than they ever have before." Her own industriousness and energy set an example that students try to match. Ms. Heron would like science classes to become a curriculum requirement. I want to see all ninth graders take physics or chemistry, as they would English or Math, she says. A more exacting science requirement would help students to better equip themselves for the demands of a changing, technological world. Ms. Heron also wants people to know that science is fun, and can be taught without fancy equipment. Ms. Heron has initiated a yearly tradition that has her students constructing catapults which are used to "hurl pumpkins through space at Halloween." This event clearly illustrates Ms. Heron's message that in science, even with simple equipment, great fun can be had by all.
1984 California State University - Sacramento, B.A.
