Students and colleagues at a local meeting praised Gray Middle School science department leader Allison Lisonbee Mueller and described the school’s new Open SciEd curriculum, saying it gives students ownership of investigations and boosts engagement.

Speakers said the curriculum replaces traditional lecture formats with student-led investigations. "Even when it's frustrating, Lisonbee isn't giving in. She's asking questions and probing and trying to get them excited about finding it out on their own," Student 5 said. Student 2 described a hands-on example: "Right now we're doing bath bombs and they are trying to prove with evidence where those gases came from, and then eventually putting together that it is a chemical reaction."

The students and other commenters credited Mueller’s teaching style with improving students’ confidence and interest in science. "She made me realize my full potential in a way that I could also help others," Student 7 said. Another commenter said they notice a marked change over the year: "It is crazy to see the change from the beginning of the year students in science to the end of the year students in science because they realize how much they have to do with this curriculum," Student 2 said.

Multiple speakers referenced a recognition: "Miss Mueller, congratulations on winning the Break the Mold award. You're a great teacher," Student 8 said. Commenters also noted personal congratulations unrelated to classroom instruction.

The remarks focused on classroom experience and student outcomes; no formal action, policy decision, or budgetary change was recorded in the transcript. The discussion emphasized classroom practice (student empowerment, critical thinking, collaboration) and cited the bath-bomb investigation as an example of how units progress and how students generate investigations under the Open SciEd model.

Background: Open SciEd is a curriculum approach that centers student-driven investigation rather than teacher-led lectures. Commenters at this meeting described the Gray Middle School implementation as promoting student ownership and engagement.