Cal Young teacher honored for inclusive STEM class in Eugene

Sara Connors built her Cal Young Middle School STEM class around a simple idea: students with and without disabilities should learn side by side while working through the same hands-on challenges. That approach, centered on Lego robotics, engineering problems and teamwork, earned the Eugene teacher TechStart’s K through 8 Technology Teacher of the Year honor.

At Cal Young, 2555 Gilham Rd. in Eugene, the unified STEM class is designed so inclusion is not an extra feature but the point of the lesson. Students are asked to tackle real-world problems, collaborate across different abilities and find ways to participate in the same project. The result is a classroom where academic growth and social connection happen at the same time, giving middle schoolers a shared setting that goes beyond coding and building.

Connors said the class celebrates differences and works to engage every student in STEM in some way. The program’s value extends past robotics and engineering, because it also gives students a chance to build empathy and connection with classmates they might not otherwise work with during the school day. In a district as large as Eugene School District 4J, where Student Support Services helps locate, evaluate, identify and provide services to students with eligible disabilities, that kind of classroom model stands out as a practical example of inclusion in action.

The award comes with a $1,000 stipend for classroom technology materials, and Connors plans to use the money to keep Lego robotics teams accessible. TechStart says its Technology Teacher of the Year awards recognize Oregon and Southwest Washington educators who broaden tech learning among underserved and underrepresented students and use innovative teaching strategies. This year’s honorees will be recognized at the Technology Association of Oregon’s 42nd Annual Tech Awards on May 5, 2026.

The recognition also places Cal Young in a broader Oregon movement toward inclusive learning. Special Olympics Oregon says its Unified Champion Schools program brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities in school-based activities. Eugene has already seen that model take root in other settings, including South Eugene High School’s Unified Robotics program. Connors’ classroom now adds another local example of how inclusion can shape not just school culture, but what students are able to build together.