My PAEMST recognition collage for a 13"x19" frame

My friend and colleague, French teacher Alec Hodgins, constructed and mounted three two-inch lipped shelves for an otherwise blank wall in my classroom. This allowed me to dust off a selection of boxed awards that had taken up residence in one of my closets. Thus was born my Wall of Ego. The center shelf is reserved for the recognition of student accomplishments (the AP and CST Halls of Fame). But the top and bottom shelves are all about me!

I had the whole thing installed so I'd have a place for the Distinguished Service Citation that was given to me by the American Association of Physics Teachers in 2008. That thing's a bit of a beast. I'm glad I drove to Edmonton to pick it up; sending it through checked luggage would have resulted in broken glass.

But PAEMST is an even bigger deal. So I wanted its space on the WoE to be bigger. The space between the shelves that Alec and I eyeballed years ago was just big enough to accommodate a 13"x19" frame. It turns out that I make 13"x19" prints with my color inkjet printer (Epson 3880).

This is what I created to frame and sit in my Wall of Ego. (I used Apple Keynote for the layout, because apparently I Can Do Anything in Apple Keynote™.) I didn't finish it until recently, since it required the White House photograph with Joe and Jill Biden.

PAEMST California Science 2011 · Dean Baird