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Glenn Lee, who leads Waialua High and Intermediate School’s acclaimed robotics program, has made the first cut in the competition for the $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which some liken to a Nobel. Read more

Glenn Lee, who leads Waialua High and Intermediate School’s acclaimed robotics program, has made the first cut in the competition for the $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, which some liken to a Nobel.

He is one of 50 educators, six of them American, who made the “short list” out of 30,000 nominees and applicants from 173 countries. The Varkey Foundation, based in London, established the prize four years ago to elevate the role of teachers in society. It focuses on improving education for underprivileged kids.

“We are from a community that is not technology- based,” said Lee, 46, who was trained as an electrical engineer but has spent his career teaching in rural Waialua. “We don’t produce a lot of engineers like some of the other schools. But globally, we are very competitive in robotics.”

He added, “We almost brainwash our kids into believing they are the best and they have to do whatever it takes to overcome their challenges and get it done.”

Lee helped launch robotics at Waialua in 1999, the first organized school program in Hawaii, kicking off a movement that has swept across the islands. There are now more than 750 robotics programs from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Aloha State.

Waialua’s robotics teams have traveled widely and won numerous awards in the VEX and FIRST Robotics programs, including the prestigious Championship Chairman’s Award in the FIRST Robotics Competition in 2011. Teams work independently to build their own robots to meet challenges in tournament competitions.

“When we go there (to tournaments), they think we’re the Punahou of Hawaii,” Lee said. “They have no idea what we have to scrape together just to compete.”

Along with his students, Lee has also won recognition for his efforts. He was twice named the International Science &Engineering Fair’s Hawaii Science Teacher of the Year. In 2011 he received the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.

His students helped propel Lee to another prize in 2010, the Woodie Flowers Award, the top individual award in the FIRST Robotics Competition, recognizing effective mentorship. The choice is based on essays submitted by students nominating their favorite mentors.

About 40 kids are involved in the robotics program at Waialua, which has a student body of more than 600. Lee is the school’s career and technical education coordinator.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Hawaii, Lee began teaching science on a temporary basis at Waialua while earning his MBA. He later earned his teaching credentials through an expedited process.

Lee learned about the Global Teacher Prize in an email from the Milken Foundation, which encouraged its past winners to apply.

The Global Prize honors exceptional teachers who have affected their students as well as their communities. It was established “to change the way the world looks at teachers.” The top 10 finalists will be announced in February and the winner will be named in March.