Team Advisor Spotlight: Ned Sheehy


Ned Sheehy of Randolph Middle School,
Randolph, N.J.
These are challenging times. Today, teachers and schools all across the country are struggling with time constraints, limited resources and steep budget cuts. The low global ranking of American student test scores in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) remains a serious concern and a barrier to the future success of today’s students.

The good news is that we have teachers like Ned Sheehy. He is an eighth grade Physical Science teacher at Randolph Middle School in Randolph, N.J., and one of eCYBERMISSION’s most dedicated Team Advisors. Sheehy and his students have had strong success competing in the eCYBERMISSION Competition, having won a total of $6,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds.

However, what really sets Sheehy apart is his lasting commitment to eCYBERMISSION and STEM education. He and his students have competed each year since the program’s inception in 2002 – and this year marks his 10th year of participation. Here at eCYBERMISSION, we are thrilled to celebrate a decade of STEM education with Sheehy.

“STEM education is important because it provides relevance to the topics students are studying in school,” said Sheehy. “When each subject is separated from each other, children have a difficult time applying concepts from one area to another. eCYBERMISSION is structured in a way that requires them to use skills from a wide variety of lessons … just like [in] real life.”

Another element that sets him apart is the number of students he gets involved in eCYBERMISSION each year. This year he is a Team Advisor for 139 students on 42 teams.

So, what brings Sheehy back to eCYBERMISSION year after year? One important factor is flexibility of the program and the ease of incorporating it into the curriculum. “I have made it part of the class,” said Sheehy. “I grade each section using rubrics that I have created. Then, I make suggestions for changes to the projects that the students should make before judging.”

Additionally, he cited the support provided by the eCYBERMISSION Staff and the awards structure as factors that keep his students motivated to learn.

Also, Sheehy just loves STEM. “Seeing the variety of experiments is stimulating for me,” he said. “Right now, I have two robots, four bags of gravel and concrete, a record player, an exercise bike and six solar panels … all hanging around in my classroom.”

Sheehy first learned about eCYBERMISSION from a parent of one of his students, who helped him gain support for the program from the school administration.

The Team Advisor Spotlight is meant to honor Team Advisors that go above and beyond in their efforts to promote eCYBERMISSION and STEM education. We would like to thank Mr. Sheehy and all of our dedicated Team Advisors that make eCYBERMISSION a success.

For more information on eCYBERMISSION visit http://www.ecybermission.com/, or contact eCYBERMISSION Mission Control at 1-866-GO-CYBER (462-9237) or via email at missioncontrol@ecybermission.com.

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