Roncalli is proud to announce that physics teacher, Ben Grimes, was presented with the 2026 Charles Emmert Distinguished Service Award from the the Indiana Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT-Indiana).
This award is named for Charles Emmert, a long-time member of the AAPT-Indiana. His service supported countless teachers of physics as well as their students in the state of Indiana for many years. The Charles Emmert Distinguished Service Award recognizes members of the physics teaching community in Indiana who have provided unique, substantial or significant contributions to physics teaching in throughout the state.
Grimes has been an active member of AAPT-Indiana for many years, presenting numerous talks and demonstrations to the organization and serving as host of two Spring Meetings. As an executive officer from 2022–2025, he used his enthusiasm, organization and creative thinking to help the organization thrive while exploring new ways to connect with teachers.
Grimes has also promoted the profession in many ways outside of AAPT-Indiana. Many educators know him for his expertise in Modeling Instruction, his eagerness to train fellow teachers in this method and for his service as an exam reader within the AP Physics community. His commitment to advancing the profession of physics teaching throughout Indiana is unwavering.
About this award, Grimes shared, “It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the Indiana physics teaching community over the past 15 years, beginning with leading my first of many Modeling Mechanics workshops in 2011, heading the Physics Standards Revision team in 2015 and ultimately serving a leadership tenure with the Indiana chapter of the American Association of Physics Teachers between 2022 and 2025. I have been very blessed to have been able to both teach physics in the classroom and help other physics teachers through
professional development, and I am looking forward to continuing to serve both our students and our teachers for years to come.”
“We are extremely proud of Mr. Grimes and grateful that he has received this recognition,” said principal Kevin Banich (Roncalli 2009). “In our community, we already know how effective he is as an educator, but this award is a testament to the broader community that he is truly an outstanding teacher. We are blessed to have him as a Royal.”