Conestoga Valley High School (CVHS) science teacher James Hovan received the 2021 North Museum Science and Engineering Fair's Board of Directors Prize.

The Board of Directors Prize was established by the North Museum of Nature and Science in 2009. Each year, educators are nominated by their peers for the award, and one teacher is selected. The winner's school district receives a prize, including $1,000 to support science education.

Hovan has coordinated and directed the Conestoga Valley Science Expo for nearly 20 years. In addition, in 2016-17, CVHS implemented the Honors Scientific Research Class, which Hovan was recommended to teach. In this class, Hovan has mentored hundreds of science fair students as their adult sponsor.

In addition to his teaching duties at CVHS, Hovan supports the North Museum Science and Engineering Fair as a member of the Governing Scientific Review Committee (SRC). In that role, Hovan attends SRC meetings, project review nights, and new teacher presentations, and he supports the science fair by conducting safety and display inspections, moderating the judges' deliberation rooms, and distributing the auxiliary and category awards.