On the weekends they waded in the Los Angeles River collecting water samples and studying the local environment. Or they helped kids in south central Los Angeles build and launch rockets.

In the evenings they could be found studying earthquakes at USC or exploring the heavens at JPL.

After school they would gather in the LAEP conference room or a school cafeteria to plan curriculum projects or professional development workshops.

In summer they would attend workshops at UCLA, or take internships in industry or academia, working alongside professional scientist, gaining new knowledge and learning new skills.

They were among the first teachers to use telecommunications in the classroom, and today they have trained hundreds of science teachers to use the Internet to find ideas and resources, and to share ideas and progress. They developed lesson plans and curriculum materials, in addition to websites and user groups to help other teachers.

Always, they took what they learned in the field back to the classroom. They would teach it to their students and share it with their colleagues.

They practically invented the use of "hands on" science activities as an instructional method. They learned from each other and strengthened their profession by working together. They developed new leadership skills along with a knowledge of, and a voice in, school reform.

They are the teachers of the Target Science teacher network and this year they are celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of their effort to improve science education. Ten years of planning and hard work. Ten years of classroom projects, lesson plans, and demonstrations. Ten years of instructional workshops and leadership retreats for hundreds of teachers. Ten years of family science celebrations, internships and explorations. Ten years of developing new knowledge and skills. Ten years of better teaching. All for one reason: they love science. All for one purpose: to help all kids, black, white or brown, rich or poor, learn about and get excited about science.

Today Target Science is a dynamic network of more than 250 K-12 teacher leaders who work together to make science come alive for thousands of students. Thursday, September 25th they celebrated their hard work and success at a reception at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural Science. There weren't a lot of fancy speeches, and no trophies or awards. Instead, the teachers spent their evening exploring the museum's insect zoo, taking part in "hands-on" science activities and quietly recollecting the past while already planning for the future.