Hillsborough science teacher is finalist for Florida Teacher of the Year
Clayton Nylund, a science teacher at Tampa’s Blake High School in Hillsborough County, is one of five finalists for Florida Teacher of the Year.
Representatives from the Florida Department of Education joined Hillsborough County School District leaders on Wednesday to surprise Nylund with the announcement in class.
“Dr. Nylund has made physics and engineering sought-after courses that students are lining up to join,” Superintendent Van Ayres said. “He doesn’t just teach; he absorbs knowledge and culture and breathes that back into the school.”
Nylund, 39, joined the district in 2011, teaching physics and engineering. In 2019, he introduced a Principles of Technology course that allows students to research, design, build, test and compete with their projects.
Students build pinewood derby cars, catapults, rockets, bridges and mousetrap cars as they learn about circuits, coding, programming and robotics. District leaders asked Nylund to share his curriculum, which has since been expanded to six other high schools with close to 1,000 participants.
Nylund was named Hillsborough Teacher of the Year in February, telling judges in his contest essay that “my students are only expected to provide two things for my class: themselves and a focused mind.”
The five state finalists were chosen from 74 district teachers of the year. The state winner will be announced in Orlando on July 25.
