College of Education alumnus Chuck Tonelli (BS in Science Education and Iowa Education Licensure '05), a Metro High School science teacher in Cedar Rapids, was recently recognized as Southeast Iowa Region STEM Teacher of the Year.
As a result of this accolade, Tonelli was featured in STEM in Iowa 2025, an annual special section distributed in The Gazette.
The following excerpt is from The Gazette article:
“Metro High School science teacher Chuck Tonelli took on a challenge 20 years ago, and as the Southeast Iowa Region STEM Teacher of the Year, he is thankful he did.
Tonelli, 45, was placed at Metro High School in Cedar Rapids as a student teacher while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in science education at the University of Iowa. He was cautious about the assignment, wondering if he should ask for another placement.
‘At the time, I had no idea what an alternative high school was,’ he said.
His wife, Shalome Tonelli, urged him to push through his hesitancy and embrace the challenge. That student-teaching job became the only one he has known.
‘I wouldn’t have it any other way,’ Tonelli said. ‘I really fell in love with the staff and the culture that exists here in the building, and the students.’
As a teacher at Metro High School and coordinator of the STEAM Academy, Tonelli gets excited about helping students work toward their high school degree, engage with the community and earn skills that will help them build their future.”