MSSPA Teacher Named 'Super Scientist'

Students and staff at the always knew Tracy Johnson was a great teacher, but now it’s official. FOX 9 chose Johnson as one of nine teachers throughout the metro area to receive this year’s Super Scientist award as part of the station’s Girls and Science program.

“We are incredibly proud of Tracy, and feel so lucky to have her as part of our MSSPA family,” Principal Barbara Wornson was quoted in a school news release. “Although we are a school focused on the performing arts, science does not take a back seat. Tracy exemplifies our commitment to a well-rounded, rigorous curriculum that engages and challenges our students.”

Johnson teaches anatomy and physiology, biology, environmental science, forensic science, and healthful living. She got a degree in biology from the University of Minnesota, Morris, and has studied in rural Minnesota, the Great Lakes and Australia. She emphasizes inquiry-based teaching in all of her courses and mixes humorous anecdotes, technology, and field and lab work, according to the school.

FOX 9’s Super Scientist Award “recognizes teachers who inspire students in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).” Fellow teachers, students and parents submit names of distinguished teachers, and a panel of education and STEM experts from the Minnesota Department of Education and the University of Minnesota select the winner.

The award comes with a $900 prize. Johnson also appeared on a 30-minute FOX 9 special and presented at Saturday’s Girls and Science event at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

“Though I began imagining myself as a science teacher half my lifetime ago, I never dreamed I’d find a school, or students, that make every day so enjoyable,” Johnson was quoted in the release. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work in an environment that encourages teaching beyond the textbook, with students who are extraordinary in every way. I didn’t know I’d been nominated for this award, and the announcement that I was a recipient came as a total shock.”