HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Virginia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has honored Suzanne Smith, Chemistry teacher at Harrisonburg High School, with the 2024 Franklin D. Kizer Distinguished High School Chemistry Teacher Award. The award, which is given in recognition of excellence in teaching chemistry, was presented at the September 20 meeting of the Virginia Section, held at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland.  

Smith has taught all levels of Chemistry at Harrisonburg High School including general, Honors and AP Chemistry. She currently teaches students in the HCPS Governor’s STEM Academy and is also the science department’s Instructional Team Leader. 

“Walking into Suzie’s classroom, you see students gathered in small groups around a lab bench, observing chemical phenomena, changing variables, and collecting data. Her class is a mix of concept learning, guided practice, experimentation and presenting findings,” said Myron Blosser, Governor’s STEM Academy Co-Director. “It is a joy to see her wander around the lab answering and asking questions depending on each individual student’s level of understanding.”

The American Chemical Society is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information. The Virginia Section represents over 1,400 chemists from industry, academia and government.