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December 15, 2006 2006 LEADERS of the YearSusan McLester, Amy Poftak, and Mark Smith Page 3Lehman Marks Most adults fear high school drivers. But one science teacher strives to get his students behind the wheel — of cars they designed and built. Back in the early '90s, Lehman Marks, head of science at the Winston School in Dallas, was searching for a way to get his students to embrace science and technology. He struck upon the idea of getting his kids to design and race solar-powered cars, a dream that has since expanded beyond Winston's 230-plus students to schools across the globe. Now more than 1,000 schools field teams build and race their cars. "I wanted to find some way to give kids a chance to invest themselves in a project," Marks says. "It could show them that engineering and technology are things they could achieve." A veteran educator who holds degrees in chemistry and zoology (he's currently working on a degree in astronomy), Marks also teaches political science at Richland Community College. He said his desire to show students the wonders of science and technology drove him to teach. At Winston School, which specializes in working with students with dyslexia and ADHD, Marks gets his chance to make a difference. "You wake up one morning and ask yourself, 'What difference are you making in this world?'" he says. "These kids need someone to inspire them." That inspiration takes other forms than building solar cars. Marks created the Winston Science program so students could move away from the stodgy science fairs of the past toward something that is more hands on and practical — problem-solving, group-oriented projects (such as measuring the strength of a bridge and charting an egg's fall from a roof). This year nearly 18,000 students descended upon Dallas to take part in the program.
"All of my friends in the public schools are telling me that this is their avenue to get their kids inspired again," he says. "We need to put the fun back in science. There's always a science fair to reach the top 5 percent of kids. But what about the other 95 percent?" Marks also conducts weekend and summer science academies so that students can get out into the field and obtain real-world experience. Students computerize archaeology digs, develop blue prints, plans, and models of spaceships, even build catapults to test computer models of siege engine trajectories. Marks teaches science with a passion that leaves his contemporaries in awe. Mark Westlake, a physics teacher at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, brought his solar car team to Texas for the Dell-Winston School Solar Challenge in 2005. There he discovered an educator whose enthusiasm and attention to detail kept students and their teachers motivated, despite triple digit heat. "He made me believe that we could accomplish a task that on first sight seems overwhelming," says Westlake. "Dr. Marks was always available, always encouraging, and always honest about the pitfalls we would face. He made me and my team want to be part of this event." Marks admits that he's a driven man, an educator who strives to show that his students can be as successful as any student, anywhere. He recalls a meeting with one parent that affected him deeply. "I had one parent introduce his son to me as, 'I want you to meet my damaged merchandise,'" Marks says, indignation rising in his voice. "How cruel is that? These kids are special." — Mark Smith
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