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Nicola Vitale wanted to teach real science, with students conducting experiments and drawing their own conclusions, but the high school he taught at in the South Bronx didn't have a science lab and many students didn't even know how to use a metric ruler.

So Vitale designed a whole new curriculum for ninth graders at the Banana Kelly High School, using the Bronx River as a laboratory. Many years later, he was acknowledged by the Sloan Foundation and Fund for the City of New York on Thursday as one of the best science teachers in the city.

"It's very uncommon for such a prestigious organization to recognize work at a small community school like ours. Most often it is elite programs that get that kind of recognition," said Vitale.

The six other educators who received the city's First Annual Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics generally came from renowned high schools like Bronx Science and Townsend Harris. At Banana Kelly, half of the students live in public housing and most enter the school well behind grade level.

Vitale wants students to understand how science relates to their lives.

"Sometimes it's questioning, 'Wow, now I really understand what they are talking about when they say the asthma rate is 40 percent higher than in other communities in New York City.' And that is where students really become inspired to become scientists," said Principal Joshua Laub of Banana Kelly.

During the award ceremony on Thursday, even Schools Chancellor Joel Klein noted that Vitale, and Banana Kelly, were unique among the winners.

"Really, excellence and Bronx Science are synonymous, and we want that to always to be. But we also know that excellence at Banana Kelly is entirely possible," said Klein. "We saw that here tonight."

Experts acknowledge that science education continues to fall short in the city and across the country, but the Fund and Sloan Foundation hope that by recognizing and highlighting examples of excellence, more scientists will choose to go into teaching and good teachers will figure out better ways to teach science.

Nicola Vitale hopes that more of those teachers choose to work at schools like Banana Kelly and in neighborhoods like the South Bronx.