Richland Northeast teacher Perry McLeod was one of fifty educators from throughout the world chosen by Google to attend its summer Google Teachers Academy in London. Google has selected Richland Northeast High School’s Perry McLeod as one of 50 educators worlwide to attend this summer’s Google Teacher Academy. The program is being held in London, England.

McLeod, a social studies, oral history, and digital media teacher, won two Fulbrights in the past five years. Earlier this year, he won a Department of Education grant to produce public service announcements on youth leadership and character development for the TeenLEAD program.

The Google Certified Teacher program was launched in 2006 with the first Academy held at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. The program has since held several academies across the US, expanding the ranks of Google certified teachers.

This is the first Google Teacher Academy focused exclusively on educational leaders. The Google Teacher Academy is produced by Google in collaboration with CUE and WestEd, both educational non–profit organizations.

Upon completion of the program, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K–12 educators in their local regions and beyond.

Thrilled to be among those selected, McLeod said, “This affirms the work we do in Richland School District Two to make technology our source in the general curricula. Students respond to it. It is their lingua franca. It gives education an immediacy and relevancy on every level.”

RNE is already one of 600 top rated high schools chosen by Google in 2010 to receive laptop computers through the Talent and Outreach Programs. Though Google suggested that four of the laptops go to high achieving math students and one to a math teacher, RNE opted to give all five to math students.