Leisa Morton-Standish, PhD

Director of Elementary Education

Dr. Leisa Morton-Standish is the Director of Elementary Education at the North American Division.

She has taught in small rural schools as well as in large urban schools. She has taught on the east and west coasts of the U.S, both in and out of the Adventist education system, and overseas. She has also spent a considerable part of her career teaching at universities, including the University of Maryland, Washington Adventist University and Macquarie University.

Leisa holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, an MA in Education from California State University and a Diploma in Education from Avondale College.

Leisa is committed to Christ and the ideals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her first love is the classroom where she can share her passion for learning and her love for Jesus.

his summer there was a lot of STEM going on in the NAD. We had record numbers of educators attend the virtual Loma Linda EXSEED conference, training for teachers at the Andrews University Chemistry Camp and eager students at our summer camp at the Florida Innovation Center. All this was possible through a STEM grant from Versacare in partnership with the North American Division and Loma Linda University.”

Why the investment in STEM? According to the National Science Foundation, “In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”

 The Verscare STEM grant focuses on training teachers to equip them to provide real-world, engaging, and strategic content for their students K-12. Over the next three years, we plan to provide expert facilitators to host monthly STEM training and coaching sessions with teachers across the NAD. These will include STEM lesson plans, demonstration lessons, and support in developing teacher's own STEM lessons for students.

In addition, we are planning a STEM virtual series. STEM Tuesdays will be available in the Adventist Learning Community. Teachers will be provided with a list of low-cost or free materials for their students to participate in the STEM session.

September 2021 – May 2022

Week 1 – Grades K-2

Week 2 – Grades 3-5

Week 3 – Grades 6-8

Week 4 – Grades 9-12

How can teachers take advantage of these STEM resources?

1. Look for emails, Facebook announcements, and Slack chat on upcoming STEM Tuesday events.
2. Announcements about STEM training sessions, summer programs, joining cohorts, and STEM kits.
3. Sharing STEM lesson plans, PBL units, and resources on Adventist Learning Community in Adventist Teacher Connect.