WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 28, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has awarded 32 Math Hero Awards to deserving teachers who promote math to students in a fun and challenging learning environment. The recipients were chosen from a pool of 107 nominations.

Each Math Hero award winner will receive a $2,500 award and a matching grant of $2,500 for his or her school.

The Math Hero Awards are part of Raytheon's MathMovesU program, a national initiative designed to engage middle school students in math and science through a variety of programs including contests, live events, scholarships, tutoring programs and more. Raytheon annually pledges $2 million in grants and scholarships to students and teachers who recognize the importance of math in education, future careers, and daily life.

The following teachers were nominated by students, parents and faculty for their enthusiasm and interest in teaching math to others:

    Sheila Sundaram
     Altman           Roger Park MS                  Danbury, Conn.
    Debra Arvin       Anna ISD                       Anna, Texas
    Charlene Atkins   Kingsville HS                  Kingsville, Mo.
    Kadir Bahar       Sonoran Science Academy        Tucson, Ariz.
    Derek Beet        Brunswick MS                   Olney, Md.
    Bridget Bohnet    Coachman Fundamental MS        Clearwater, Fla.
    Lois Coles        Brentwood MS                   Brentwood, Tenn.
    Susan Creekmore   West Memphis Christian School  West Memphis, Ark.
    Judith Deeley     Dunedin Highland MS            Dunedin, Fla.
    Renee Deken       Woodland MS                    Marble Hill, Mo.
    Rebecca DelBarone The Met Center                 Providence, R.I.
    Isil Durma-Nal    Harmony School of Excellence   Houston, Texas
    Carolyn Felknor   Aspen Creek K-8                Broomfield, Colo.
    Heather Harat     Center Grove HS                Greenwood, Ind.
    Joshua Hawkins    West Ridge Elementary School   Brighton, Colo.
    Megan Hollmstron  Hillbrook School               Los Gatos, Calif.
    Courtney Jacobs   Metropolitan Regional Career
                       & Tech                        Providence, R.I.
    Susan Loucks      Safety Harbor MS               Safety Harbor, Fla.
    Aaron Lunsford    Belzer MS                      Indianapolis, Ind.
    Linda Nash        Galvin MS                      Canton, Mass.
    Barbara Noppinger Middle River MS                Middle River, Md.
    John Pang         Joyce Kilmer MS                Vienna, Va.
    Christy Rhodes    Tom Bean MS                    Tom Bean, Texas
    Kim Robertson     Saint Bernadette School        Springfield, Va.
    Jamil Siddiqui    East Bridgewater HS            East Bridgewater, Mass.
    Zhengwei Su       Century Chinese Language
                      School                         Framingham, Mass.
    Matthew Toth      South Side HS                  Fort Wayne, Ind.
    Kristine Vester   Math Science Innovation Center Richmond, Va.
    Sandra Vorensky   Edgar MS                       Metuchen, N.J.
    Kevin Weis        Harvard Westlake School        North Hollywood, Calif.
    Tracy Wingert     Le Mars Community HS           Le Mars, IA
    Chia Ho Yeh       Sharon Christa McAuliffe MS    Los Alamitos, Calif.

Bridget Bohnet, a middle school mathematics teacher for 22 years, has used Raytheon's MathMovesU program in her classroom for three years. "Most students begin to struggle with math during their middle school years because many educators start teaching rules instead of methods. Students need to see how and why mathematics matters in life. I believe my enthusiasm for math transfers to my students."

Twenty-four of Bridget's students won MathMovesU Middle School Scholarships of $1,000 each earlier this year, the most scholarship winners from any school in the U.S. Bridget's use of the MathMovesU program has not only touched her own students, but has expanded throughout the entire school as she states, "The faculty and parents have quickly seen the benefits."

Raytheon's MathMovesU program was introduced in 2005 and has impacted the lives of more than 900,000 students, teachers, and parents. Raytheon is committed to raising awareness around the nation's current decline of math and science skills in today's youth, and believes that tomorrow's engineers and technologists need to be excited by and interested in math today. To learn more about MathMovesU and available scholarships and grants, visit www.MathMovesU.com.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

    Contact:
    Jennifer Chan
    781.522.5112
    Jennifer_K_Chan@raytheon.com

SOURCE Raytheon Company

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/

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