Barbara Ann Fortier is an eighth-grade science teacher at Biddeford Middle School in Biddeford, ME. She primarily teaches a curriculum focused on earth and space science. Ms. Fortier has taught for nine years; eight years have been at Biddeford Middle School. As team leader for the school's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Explorer School, she plans NASA family nights and faculty development activities. She serves as a board member of the Maine Science Teachers Association and has mentored a new science teacher through Electronic Mentoring for Student Success. She has also served as an analyst of online resources for Phenomena and Representations for Instruction of Science in Middle Schools and as a teacher leader for the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
Ms. Fortier is described as an enthusiastic team player who goes above and beyond what is asked and as a teacher who takes risks in learning. She is known for supporting students and teachers in the integration of technology into the classroom. Her love of science and inquiry-based problem solving provides a creative and expressive learning environment for students. She is considered an emerging leader at her school, and her opinions are often sought on overall school issues. Parents feel the outside-classroom experiences she provides foster her students' deep interest in science beyond middle school.
Ms. Fortier holds certifications in both elementary and special education, kindergarten through grade eight. She has a B.S. in education, with a dual major in middle school education and special education, from Lesley College. She has also completed NASA-sponsored graduate courses in earth systems science at the University of Southern Maine, and is currently a graduate student in the Teacher in Geosciences program at Mississippi State University.