TAMPA, Fla. — It’s not enough to keep students engaged all year long.

Town ‘N Country Elementary teacher Christina Calve keeps inspiring students during the summer months as well.

She’s taking STEM education to the next level, currently hosting STEM camp for third and fourth graders.

Calve, a science resource teacher, keeps her teaching hands on to stay fresh and fun for students. And her students love it – even during summertime.

“I am just super excited and super, super surprised,” Calve said of being an A+ Teacher. “I really didn’t, one, anticipate or expect any of it, and two, the reaction of our summer school students today was the best! I just love it. So, so blessed.”

Calve integrates the school vision with STEM education in a robust way. And for 16 years, she has been building relationships with her students to get the best out of them.  

“If it doesn’t work, we don’t give up,” Calve said. “We persevere. We try again.  A lot of that is being able to problem solve, overcome barriers, overcome challenges, think outside of the box, being able to use the resources we have , but then also get creative, but then stick to a budget, all these life skills.

“It’s just critical that we be able to do it, so as a nation, we can continue to move forward and compete, because truly if you think about engineering and STEM, it’s to make our lives better.”