Edyth May Sliffe Award
Encyclopedia
The Edyth May Sliffe Award is given annually to (roughly) 20 teachers in the United States by the Mathematical Association of America
(MAA). The awards are funded by a bequest from a retired high school mathematics
teacher named Edyth May Sliffe, of Emeryville, California
. Her purpose was to award high school teachers whose students have done well on the AHSME, now the AMC 12. She felt students who won in math competitions received honors, but their teachers never received any recognition.
Edyth May Sliffe, a retired teacher who taught at Emery High School
, felt that teachers also needed recognition for their contributions toward the students' success. In 1978 she contacted the Governor of the Northern California Section of the MAA, Professor Kenneth Rebman. Kenneth Rebman then told the President of the MAA, Professor Henry Alder, and arranged a meeting with Sliffe. She decided to use her estate to recognize 20 teachers of the highest scoring teams annually. Edyth Sliffe died on December 11, 1986. In accordance with her will, over $250,000 was donated to the MAA. Since 1989, about 20 high school teachers from the top 60 American
and Canadian schools have received the award annually. In 1995, the MAA Committee extended the award to middle school teachers. Five teachers are selected from each of the ten American Mathematics Competition Regions.
. In addition, they get one year free membership in the MAA, and recognition in national and regional professional publications. The award ceremony is arranged by the school administrators. For middle school teachers, the award is $100.
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
(MAA). The awards are funded by a bequest from a retired high school mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
teacher named Edyth May Sliffe, of Emeryville, California
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
. Her purpose was to award high school teachers whose students have done well on the AHSME, now the AMC 12. She felt students who won in math competitions received honors, but their teachers never received any recognition.
Edyth May Sliffe and her Award
(1901 - 1986)Edyth May Sliffe, a retired teacher who taught at Emery High School
Emery Secondary School
Emery Secondary School is a high school in Emeryville, California, USA for 7th through 12th grades. It is part of the Emery Unified School District. The school has an enrollment of around 400 students...
, felt that teachers also needed recognition for their contributions toward the students' success. In 1978 she contacted the Governor of the Northern California Section of the MAA, Professor Kenneth Rebman. Kenneth Rebman then told the President of the MAA, Professor Henry Alder, and arranged a meeting with Sliffe. She decided to use her estate to recognize 20 teachers of the highest scoring teams annually. Edyth Sliffe died on December 11, 1986. In accordance with her will, over $250,000 was donated to the MAA. Since 1989, about 20 high school teachers from the top 60 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian schools have received the award annually. In 1995, the MAA Committee extended the award to middle school teachers. Five teachers are selected from each of the ten American Mathematics Competition Regions.
Nomination of a Teacher
Three students from each of the top 60 highest scoring teams in the AMC 12 are asked to nominate a teacher they felt contributed most to their success.Award
Award winning teachers win a cash prize of $350-$750, a letter from the president of the MAA, a certificate signed by the president of MAA, Chair of the Committee on the AMC 12, and the Executive Director of the American Mathematics CompetitionsAmerican Mathematics Competitions
The American Mathematics Competitions are the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad . This team, consisting of six high school students, competes in the IMO and has traditionally performed well...
. In addition, they get one year free membership in the MAA, and recognition in national and regional professional publications. The award ceremony is arranged by the school administrators. For middle school teachers, the award is $100.
Edyth May Sliffe Awards Committee
- Steven R Dunbar
- Harold B Reiter
- David Hankin
- Bonnie Leitch
- Elgin H Johnston
- Mark E Saul
- Cheryl M Hawker
- Gail A Kaplan