Bob Thomson

Tell us why you became a teacher

I teach for the Ah-Ha moment. Curiosity is fragile, easily crushed by a wrong answer or a disengaged classroom. I see myself as a steward of that curiosity, creating spaces where students restore endangered species, build underwater robots, monitor watersheds, and discover that real science is messy, exciting, and worth pursuing. That spark, once protected, becomes a lifelong drive to understand the world.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My fifth graders and I partnered with NOAA and the Michigan DNR to raise lake trout fry and deliver them by ROV to artificial reefs in Lake Huron, helping imprint the fish to restore a struggling population. After a year of building and testing, our first dive succeeded. Then the research vessel's propeller destroyed the ROV. We spent an hour recovering parts and footage of the perfect release. My students didn't mourn the loss. They started engineering a better system. That's when I knew I'd do

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the $25,000 to leverage funds to create a community makerspace, expanding the Innovators program I built at Thunder Bay Junior High beyond school hours. My students learn CAD, robotics, coding, and engineering design skills that open real doors. But access ends at 3 PM. A community makerspace would welcome more students, more ideas, and more Ah-Ha moments.