Mary Russo

Background

About Mary Russo

My name is Mary Russo and this year marks 25 years in secondary science education for me. I am a career St. Louisan and live in Chesterfield with my Husband, also an educator, and our 2 children. When I was fresh out of college I put my BS in Biochemistry right to work at a molecular cardiology lab at St. Louis University Hospital and was fortunate to generate a couple of publications. While in the lab I would work with the medical students on biotechnology protocols (gels, PCR, radio tagging, etc.) and I found that I really enjoyed teaching! I’d spend the next two years in an AmeriCorps teacher program where I fell in love with secondary science education and the rest is history. I have a Masters of Arts in Biology from Washington University and a Masters of Education from Notre Dame. I have what I like to call my teaching leadership MBA (not an actual MBA though!) from a three year leadership program through Regis University in Denver called the Ignatian Leadership Seminars. I’ve spent 3 summers with the Monsanto Fund (American Farmers Grow Rural Education), 2 of those summers I worked with other local teachers reading grant applications from rural schools that were nominated by local farmers (across the country). One of those summers I was asked back to help train the new crop of teacher grant readers. What a blast! I started teaching science at SLUH in 2001. I am now completing 23 years of service to this incredible institution. As I ended my time as Chair a few years back, it was time for me to re-evaluate what would be next. I have happily gone back into the classroom full time and invested in other school projects (Curriculum Coordinator, SciLab Director, Learning Coach, Chair of the creation of a 5200ft2 innovation Lab, Academic Affairs Board Member, participant SLUH Strategic Summit) but I have wondered if there is another chapter in my story, here at this point of my career. What else can I bring my skill-set to? Is it possible for me to work with educators and students, develop inspired programming and curricula, and stay in my chosen field of science? I am so pleased to be at CHS working with young learners to find, develop, and unleash inner power in the context of science learning. My credo is such: Relationship, Trust, and then Change. Students and colleagues who feel seen and heard, through the cultivation of classroom and workplace relationships, will trust the tough journeys that are needed for meaningful growth and change. This is how I have always run my classroom: relationship, trust, change.