Greg McCurdy
Gregory W. McCurdy taught courses including Biology I Honors, Microbiology, Genetics, and Anatomy & Physiology at Salem High School for many years, providing a strong background in the biological sciences for students interested in careers in biology or medical related occupations. In the second year of his teaching career, Mr. McCurdy started Salem High School’s Science Club, which provided opportunities for students interested in science to participate in a variety of activities within the various scientific disciplines. In 1991, the SHS Science Club was the only group in Indiana to be recognized by Indiana Governor Evan Bayh with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Recycling.
Mr. McCurdy felt that the students, parents, staff, and administration of Salem Community Schools were unmatched in the kindness and consideration that he had been shown during his tenure at Salem High School. He was also very grateful to the administrators and the board of directors of Salem Community Schools who had encouraged and supported his growth as a teacher and as a professional, enabling him to take a leadership role in science education in Indiana, holding the offices of district director, treasurer, conference chair, vice president, and president of the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc.. In 2009, Mr. McCurdy received the Edward L. Frazier Distinguished Service Award from HASTI to recognize years of service to Indiana Teachers.
Mr. McCurdy was an adjunct lecturer in Biology, Medical Terminology, and Science Methods for Secondary Teachers at Indiana University Southeast and served as a dual credit instructor in Microbiology, Genetics, Anatomy & Physiology for Indiana State University and Ivy Tech Community College. He was a contributing writer and content evaluator for Prentice Hall Publishers on the leading Biology textbook in the country in 2005. Mr. McCurdy worked with the Indiana Department of Education on multiple occasions, evaluating questions for the Biology End of Course Assessment and authored the Indiana State Standards for Microbiology. Mr. McCurdy received a RadioShack National Teaching Award in 2003 for creative use of technology in the classroom. He was one of seventeen science teachers selected nationwide by the American Physiological Society to participate in their year-long Frontiers in Physiology program, where he worked under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Falcone in vascular research at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. In the summer of 2008, he was one of eight teachers selected nationwide to write curriculum for the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. He received a Realizing the Dream Award from the Independent Colleges of Indiana for encouragement provided to first generation college students. He was recognized as an Outstanding Science Teacher by the Bloomington, Indiana chapter of Sigma Xi, the Research Society for promoting science research at the secondary level. He received the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Indiana from the National Association of Biology Teachers in 2001. At the local level, Mr. McCurdy was a two-time recipient of the Washington County Conservation Educator award from the Soil and Water Conservation District.
It was Mr. McCurdy’s desire to repay the generosity that had been extended to him by the Salem Community by establishing a one-time scholarship to be given in his name to a graduating senior on Senior Honor Day each year.
