Mathematics teacher Shari Kaneshiro from Hokulani Elementary School in Manoa.   Science teacher Paul Burnett Jr. from Waialua Elementary School on the North Shore.

They each received a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation, the federal agency that administers the awards program on behalf of The White House, and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., for a week of professional development activities.

Kaneshiro and Burnett are the only winners from Hawai'i, and two of 93 teachers nationwide to receive the prestigious award.

In a citation, President George W. Bush commended them "for embodying excellence in teaching, for devotion to the learning needs of the students, and for upholding the high standards that exemplify American education at its finest."