2009 Outstanding Educators

Patricia Dunlap, California

Patricia Dunlap, Coordinator for the California Regional Environmental Education Community in Sonora, CA, often says that she “wears so many hats!”  For instance, she coordinates forestry and other environmental programs within the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Office. She also teaches science at Curtis Creek Elementary School and in the past has taught Science Education Methods to Special Education teacher-interns for the Stanislaus County Office of Education.  During the last 20 years, Tricia has taught hundreds of students, across grades one through eight, as well as integrated PLT curriculum content into many subject areas.

Each year, Tricia organizes the Tuolumne County Forestry Institute for Teachers, a weeklong program for K-12 educators that explores forest ecology and management issues and environmental education pedagogy.  She not only develops the content and agenda but also secures the necessary funding. As Region 6 Coordinator for the California Regional Environmental Education Community Network, she plans and facilitates workshops for classroom teachers and after-school leaders.

Tricia’s goal is to connect youth with the natural forest community around them. She organized a partnership with Tuolomne County Forestry called the “Summer of Success” program, in which high school students shadow U.S. Forest Service staff for six weeks to learn about different forestry-related careers. With the support of a PLT GreenWorks! grant, students in this program also received fire ecology education and participated in a unique field trip to the Mt. Elizabeth fire lookout station.

Tricia grew up in the Los Angeles area, but spent many weekends and vacations outdoors. Remembering the camping trips and picnics she took with her family as a child, she says, “My love of the outdoors has defined who I am and what I have chosen to do for all my life.” Shortly into her college career she became a naturalist intern at Foothill Horizons Outdoor School in Sonora, which solidified her love for teaching and clearly outlined her future career path.  She earned her teaching credentials in 1992.

“Tricia is a lifelong advocate for forestry and environmental education,” said Kay Antunez, California PLT State Coordinator. “She is committed to the work we are trying to do in California to support and advance environmental education.”

Olivia Griset, Maine

Olivia Griset teaches biology, oceanography, and other science courses to grades 10 through 12 at Lisbon High School in Lisbon Falls, ME. She developed a Field Ecology course, a science elective taught almost entirely outdoors that has quickly gained popularity among the high schoolers. The class, which is capped at 25 students, has now reached capacity and has a considerable wait list. 

“Olivia’s love of teaching is evident the second you walk into her classroom,” said Kenneth J. Halsey, principal of Lisbon High School. “She commands the attention of every one of her students and demands that they work toward and achieve their full academic potential.”

Olivia studied at Utah State University, where she joined the College of Natural Resources Environmental Education Laboratory to coordinate a traveling exhibit focused on fisheries. There, she designed a six-week curriculum on the ecology of the Great Salt Lake that was later published by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography and used by the Great Salt Lake Observatory.

Olivia moved to Maine in 2003 and worked with the Maine Audubon Society as an environmental educator. After realizing her desire to expose more children to nature, she enrolled in a graduate program to become a K-12 certified public school teacher. Now, she is continually looks for hands-on, relevant ways to teach her students about the environment that surrounds them. For example, she recently created a forestry field experience for Maine students through a partnership with Higmo’s, a local sawmill, and the Maine Forest Service. Through this partnership, teachers receive professional development to learn about the origins of lumber and sustainable forest management, and then design a forestry field trip for their students that incorporates these issues with PLT.

Olivia also implements Maine’s Forestry Inventory Growth (FIG) program, which is based on an activity found in PLT’s Forest Ecology module. The program involves students working to monitor the trees found on school property with the help of local foresters. Through an online data entry system, students in different schools can compare data to monitor changes over time. This hands-on investigating leads to practical learning so powerful that it has impacted many student lives. One student wrote, “I’ve not always known I was destined to be an environmental educator. It took some outside encouragement and watching Mrs. Griset. Watching her do what she does and loving it makes me want the same for my life.”

As a PLT facilitator, Olivia has introduced many other teachers to the PLT curriculum through various workshops and presentations. She serves as a consulting teacher to a PLT and University of Maine grant, in which she trains high school teachers to use PLT in their courses to emphasize the importance of taking students outside to learn.

Olivia’s passion for the outdoors is contagious. As one student said, “Almost every weekend she goes on a spectacular science journey where she learns more about the earth. Whether a simple mountain biking trip or a crazy storm surfing adventure, she brings back hilarious yet educational stories that force the class to enjoy…the science field.”

Denise Trufan, South Carolina

Denise Trufan is Science Lab Facilitator at Indian Land Elementary School in Indian Land, SC. She helps teachers and students in grades K through 5 to enhance learning with hands-on activities, many based on the PLT curriculum. She is organizing a PLT workshop for all 85 teachers at the Indian Land Elementary to prepare her school to become a “South Carolina PLT Certified School.” This means that PLT will be used to strengthen learning throughout the curriculum, not just in science classes. She has also organized many PLT workshops and professional development opportunities for teachers at other schools.

Denise uses PLT activities to increase her students’ standardized science test scores. For example, she created a Discovery Box containing nature items, such as acorns and bark, that students use to conduct both quantitative and qualitative analysis. They also go outdoors as often as possible to learn about tree characteristics and plant growth.

Last year, Denise launched a recycling program at Indian Land Elementary that both saved thousands of dollars and enthusiastically involved students in all grades. In a single year, students recycled two tons of paper, 4,000 plastic bottles, and thousands of aluminum cans. Her after-school environmental club, called the Ecowarriors, puts on environmental plays for the school and community, researches environmental issues, and designs gardens that have become certified Backyard Habitats by the National Wildlife Federation.

“Denise’s dedication to her students, love for environmental education, and infusion of PLT materials into her programs make her the epitome of what this award represents,” said Jerry Shrum, South Carolina PLT State Coordinator. “She has spent her life and career focusing on helping students understand the environment.”

As a Charlotte, North Carolina resident who teaches in South Carolina, Trufan is an active environmental educator in both states. In North Carolina, she volunteers at state parks and other outdoor facilities, and in South Carolina, she volunteers at workshops and conferences to promote PLT to other formal and non-formal educators.

Beatrice Long, Texas

Beatrice Long teaches eighth grade science at Seabrook Intermediate School near Houston, TX. Last year, Bea’s eighth graders achieved a 93% passing rate on the Texas standardized test (TAKS) and the school received an exemplary score. She and her colleagues attribute this success to their training in and use of Project Learning Tree curriculum resources in their classroom lessons.  

Bea’s classroom is known as an environmental showcase, as it is filled with posters, books, and a multitude of resources she uses daily. As one teacher noted, “If you are lucky, you will go into her classroom and you will see a chrysalis waiting to hatch, or the release of a butterfly.” Her philosophy is to bring students outside, but when that is not possible, she brings the outdoors inside the classroom and makes it come alive for her students.

Bea is also part of the Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where she serves as a science teacher mentor, cadre member, and instructional team leader. She utilizes as well as teaches within a School Habitat Demonstration Lab that was funded in part by a PLT GreenWorks! grant. She has volunteered countless hours planting and maintaining the habitat and shows colleagues how to use the lab as a teaching tool. As an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, she teaches a Science Methods class to pre-service teachers, presenting ways to incorporate PLT and other environmental education activities into teaching. These new teachers leave the course with PLT’s Energy & Society curriculum, as well as the knowledge and comfort to use it.

“Bea demonstrates the qualities of an outstanding environmental educator,” said Brenda Weiser, Director of Environmental Education at the Environmental Institute of Houston. “She is the type of facilitator that leads participants to awareness, provides opportunities to gain knowledge, explores different viewpoints, and encourages participants to design action projects.”

Lucy Diggins-Wold, Wyoming

Lucy Diggins-Wold, Information and Education Specialist with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department in Green River, WY, has been involved with environmental education and PLT for more than 25 years in a variety of work and volunteer positions. “It is a pure joy to watch Lucy,” said Steve Scharosch, Steering Committee Chair of Wyoming PLT. “She has the wonderful ability to motivate all students, kids and adults, to get into the action.”

Lucy received a BA degree in Parks Recreation Management from Idaho State University and worked for many years as a park naturalist and ranger for Idaho State Parks. She came to Wyoming in 1993, and since 1994, has directed Wyoming Game & Fish information and education efforts in southwest Wyoming. In her position, she is responsible for school programs, youth camps, teacher camps, and a wide variety of other outdoor programs. She is also well known for her weekly radio spots that feature outdoor recreation opportunities, such as hunting and fishing, and wildlife, including stewardship and habitat conservation. “School children are tickled to be able to conduct fun, learning activities with the lady they hear on the radio,” said Steve Scharosch.

Lucy has been involved in the annual Wyoming Game & Fish Expo since its beginnings in 1998, engaging students in outdoor activities and exposing them to natural resource management. She frequently volunteers to conduct PLT workshops, even if it means driving across the state of Wyoming on her day off, to introduce new teachers to the program.

When describing what makes a good PLT facilitator, Lucy stresses the need for people who are dedicated to environmental education. “It’s in here,” she said, pointing to her heart, “not up here,” tapping her head. Anyone who has worked with Lucy agrees that her heart is 100% environmental education.

Learn About the Other State Honorees!