Fun with a purpose
This year’s winners illustrate the many avenues for delivering environmental education —through classroom learning, community service projects, state forestry programs, and local nature centers.
Bea Long teaches 8th graders at Seabrook Intermediate School in Texas and volunteers with the Environmental Institute of Houston. Her students are often either investigating outside or doing hands-on science work inside the classroom. She works to integrate PLT throughout the curriculum, for example, PLT’s “Energy & Society” kit, and credits PLT for increasing her students’ test scores.
Olivia Griset teaches 10th-12th grade Biology, Oceanography, and Field Ecology at Lisbon Falls High School in Lisbon Falls, Maine. She developed a field ecology class in which students learn and conduct research outdoors. The course relies heavily on PLT’s “Forest Ecology” module and other PLT materials. The first year she taught it, 15 signed up. Now she has 25 students, with a waiting list.
Science teacher and environmental education consultant Tricia Dunlap grew up in Los Angeles but developed a love for the outdoors through family vacations and weekend explorations. Tricia received her national award both for training many other teachers and for launching a unique program that gave high school students a chance to shadow U.S. Forest Service staff for six weeks in the summer, learning about forest ecology.
Lucy Diggins-Wold is well-known in her region of Southwest Wyoming, where she produces a weekly radio program, youth camps, and teacher training workshops that put environmental education at the forefront of her work with Wyoming Game and Fish. In nominating her for the award, colleague Steve Scharosch said, “Lucy’s heart has always been 100% in environmental education.” Wyoming’s statewide newspaper, The Casper Star Tribune, ran a nice article on Lucy entitled “‘Fun with a purpose’. G&F spokeswoman receives prestigious environmental education award.”
Denise Trufan, a Science Lab Facilitator at Indian Land Elementary School in South Carolina, is very proud of what her students accomplished through their after-school club called “Ecowarriors.” They developed backyard habitats for wildlife, researched environmental issues of concern to the community, and helped launch a recycling program that saved their school thousands of dollars.
Congratulations also to the 2009 National Project Learning Tree
Outstanding Educator Honorees: Elizabeth Burke – Virginia; Joy Cowart – Georgia; Sheryl Crain Holliday – Louisiana; Hilary Hargrove – Tennessee; Michael Mansour – Michigan; Jeannine May – Mississippi; Jonathan Nute – New Hampshire; Jay Schneider – Arkansas; Deborah Todd – Ohio; Jane Ulrich – Washington; and Pam Wilson – Oregon.
Teachers play a crucial role in making sure every student receives a quality education. PLT’s outstanding educators are devoted to teaching their students and engaging their communities in environmental education. They show the many ways that environmental education can be used with children and adults.
At all grade levels, inside and outside the classroom, environmental education opens up new ways to learn. That is something we should be thanking all environmental educators for every day, and not just on National Teacher Day.
