PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES AND AWARDS: Began teaching at Lawrence Central High School, 1982. Golden Apple Award, 1997; Texas Learning Technology Group Chemistry Recognition Award, 1995; Tech Prep Grant Award, 1993.

PERSONAL: Husband, Donald E. Weir Jr., is a social studies teacher, also at Lawrence Central High School. Children: Two daughters, one son.

EXCERPTS from comments by colleagues: Mrs. Weir created the first community mentorship, called the Senior Science Seminar that links students with community businesses. It places students as interns in the medical and science community. The businesses serve as learning laboratories, allowing students to do research, write papers, keep a daily log, and receive evaluations from business mentors.

Mrs. Weir became the school corporation's expert on McCarthy's 4-Mat Approach to Learning Styles. She not only helps teachers identify students' learning styles, but she also helps them create lesson plans appropriate for different learning styles. She is on the forefront of improving the school's use of technology. She regularly distributes information through E-mail or voice mail instead of called meetings.

She was the first instructional leader at her school to see the use the power of technology as a motivational tool for instructing average students. She established a link with the Texas Learning Technology Group that resulted in the school becoming one of only three national pilot sites for an interactive video system for the physical sciences and later as the only pilot site for an interactive video chemistry program.