2010 National Project Learning Tree Outstanding Educator Honorees

Schanee’ Anderson, Curator of Education, Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, KS

Schanee’ oversees a staff of five, as well as dozens of volunteers, who provide educational programs to students from throughout the community who visit the Sedgwick County Zoo. She has found that PLT is an ideal resource for this purpose. She shares what she learns to other nonformal educators, including other members of the American Zoo Association. She is a member of the AZA Conservation Education Committee and the Paraguay Conservation Partnership. (She conducted the first-ever PLT workshops in Paraguay!). Schanee’ was the president of the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (the state sponsor for PLT) when it hosted the PLT International Conference in Wichita in 2008. She also helped host the Kansas Green Schools Conference. Many of the people she has mentored have gone on to become environmental education leaders in other institutions—a testament to her leadership.

“Taking PLT to teachers in Paraguay is an excellent example of how Schanee’ finds ways to leverage her influence and experiences to promote PLT to the broadest possible audience.”—Laura Downey, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, Wichita, KS

Laura Beiser, Environmental Administrator, Nonpoint Source Education Program, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Jackson, MS

Laura assists many environmental education organizations that receive nonpoint watershed funds (known as 319(h) funds), including Mississippi PLT.  For the past 10 years, she has planned the state’s Aquafairs, which involve 2,000–3,000 students per year in a daylong field day that includes PLT activities. She worked with professional puppeteers to produce a watershed-related show that now is presented free of charge throughout the state. She served on the committee that developed Connecting Students to Natural Resources, in which an educator worked with teachers in five counties to present EE in classrooms, which resulted in improved test scores. She has been a trained PLT facilitator from the outset of Mississippi PLT. She is incoming president of the Mississippi Environmental Education Association and serves on its Environmental Literacy Committee.

“Laura is a key element in Mississippi’s EE brain trust. Many of us run ideas by Laura for her perspective, and she is actively building environmental education programs.”—Dr. John Guyton, Mississippi State University, Biloxi, MS

Lu Ellen Boren, Middle School Science Teacher, St. Columba and Columbine Christian Schools, Durango, CO

Lu grew up with a special connection to the outdoors and was involved in 4-H as a child and, later, as a parent and leader. Lu first came to PLT when she attended a PLT workshop on fire ecology soon after the large Missionary Ridge fire raged near Durango. She started using PLT with her classes shortly after and, when she saw how much her students benefited, has never looked back. Recognizing that the long distances from Durango to other parts of the state for PLT workshops prevent many teachers from getting involved, Lu Ellen joined the Colorado PLT Facilitator team in 2007. Now she conducts PLT workshops for teachers in her area and was instrumental in bringing a weeklong Colorado Fire Ecology Institute for Educators to Durango. Her enthusiasm for and knowledge of PLT has made her the “point person” for other facilitators and teachers in southwestern Colorado. A long-time rancher and classroom teacher, Lu is a respected voice for environmental education and proponent of PLT as a way to educate future generations of land users and citizens.

“PLT was easy to add to my existing curriculum, it took very little planning time, and was inexpensive to implement. I loved it.”—Lu Ellen Boren, St. Columba and Columbine Christian Schools, Durango, CO

Tammy Brown, Environmental Educator, Education Department, Casper College, Casper, WY

Tammy has been a driving force in Wyoming PLT since first being trained in 1993 at the Alpine Environmental Education Conference. She offers preservice education courses with PLT and also teacher and facilitator workshops. No education major leaves Casper College without some experience with PLT. She recently drafted the Wyoming PLT strategic plan and has trained every new facilitator in the state since 2002. She takes advantage of every workshop she conducts by offering update training to veterans. She has also worked with Casper Mountain Science School, an outdoor education program in its third year. Tammy even stepped up to serve as interim PLT coordinator in Wyoming until a new coordinator was chosen, keeping PLT active in the state during what turned out to be a two-year gap.

“A teacher in one of Tammy’s classes said she was ready to teach PLT activities when she first took her job. She has been using PLT ever since and now services on her district’s science curriculum selection committee, where she is an advocate for PLT.”—Stephanie Jensen, Wyoming PLT, Casper, WY

Melissa Eldridge, District Manager, Ionia Conservation District, Ionia, MI

Melissa’s educational focus is on natural resource education for pre-K through adults. One of her main projects has been to involve the community in restoring the Boyce Elementary Nature Trail, evolving it into a learning and recreational resource for the school district. She has incorporated a field trip to the trail for all elementary schools, and teaches teachers how to use the trail in their own lessons. She guided Ionia’s science curriculum director for grades 3 through 5 in PLT activities, sponsoring several in-service training workshops for teachers at all levels. Through her efforts at revising the workshops offered, teachers can now earn college or CEU credits for their participation. She promotes PLT at numerous conferences and often leads workshops throughout the state. She is known as a “go-to” person on whom Michigan PLT can rely.

“Melissa showed teachers how to use PLT activities to tie their field trip to Boyce Elementary Nature Trail directly to the Michigan teaching standards and curriculum requirements.”—Ada Takacs, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Roscommon, MI

Sands M. (Sandy) Gresham, Science Teacher and Environmental Education School Coordinator, Lowcountry Preparatory School, Pawley’s Island, SC

Although not new to environmental education, Sandy was first introduced to PLT in 2008.  South Carolina’s PLT state coordinator said he never saw an educator so enthusiastically embrace PLT and use it to make a difference at a school.  After becoming a facilitator, she persuaded her school faculty and administration to become a South Carolina PLT Environmental School. All teachers in the school are now PLT trained and the school is now part of PLT’s GreenSchools! initiative. She helped changed the curriculum to fully incorporate PLT as a major component and environmental education as the overall vision. She also organized a PLT workshop for early childhood educators in coastal area school districts. She has also worked with a middle school in another part of the state to become a PLT School.

“Sandy saw that her colleagues were already providing environmental education but needed the foundation and structure that PLT provides.”—Jerry Shrum, South Carolina Forestry Commission, Columbia, SC
 

Amber Hodges, Project Associate, 4-H Youth Development, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Roanoke, VA

Amber provides classroom presentations, after-school programs, and interpretative programs, reaching about 1,800 K–12 students per year. As a result of her efforts, PLT was adopted by the new citywide magnet school for environmental education. Students will be outside doing PLT, including adopting a tree as an environmental service learning project. She conducts workshops in the Roanoke Valley area and at the annual meeting of the National Camping Institute. She helps other extension agents and PLT educators conduct workshops and promote PLT.

“The facilitator training experience served to deepen my belief in PLT as an effective environmental education program. This enabled me to successfully market PLT to educators not only in the Roanoke Valley, but regionally.”—Amber Hodges, 4-H Youth Development, Roanoke, VA

Sue Keene, Teacher-in-Residence, University of Indianapolis, Indiana

Sue is a National Board Certified Teacher who believes that learning improves when students explore the world around them. She was a fourth-grade teacher at West Newtown Elementary School for 22 years, involved in many environmental education activities, from coordinating the school’s first garden to integrating technology in the classroom using PLT. She collaborated with other Decatur Township teachers to develop Goose Creek Academy, a three-week summer activity that integrated academic skills with environmental education. Since leaving the classroom, she has been a PLT facilitator and teacher-in-residence at the University of Indianapolis. In her methods class at the University of Indianapolis, she introduces future teachers to PLT. She is helping to create a PLT technology correlations guide using national and state standards. A self-proclaimed technology geek, she understands the importance of technology trends in the revised PLT Activity Guide.

“Sue’s students are immersed in PLT activities supported by 21st century technology applications to help communicate their understanding.”—Donna Rogler, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indianapolis, IN

Robin Ward McCartney, Associate Professor, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Robin teaches science methods classes to preservice teachers, as well as to current PreK-3 teachers and those seeking master’s degrees. She first began using PLT with students as a classroom teacher at Grolee Elementary School in Opelousas, LA.  She has also worked closely with Chitimacha School in  Clarenton, which involved helping the community re-discover the language of this Native American people. Robin has published articles and made presentations on how she has used PLT in many different settings.

“I think working with experts and scientists is very helpful with undergraduate and graduate students who will be certified to teach science to elementary school children.”—Robin Ward McCartney, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Michael Murphrey, Staff Forester, Texas Forest Service, Lufkin, TX

As a forester, Michael is involved with the range of forest management and ecology issues, but also makes the time to educate students, educators, and landowners. His current work involves increasing public awareness about southern pine beetle and invasive species, as well as conservation education. He has hosted workshops to train Citizen Scientists to identify and report invasive plants. He has made numerous contributions to PLT as a facilitator and fundraiser (for example, auctioning of a specially cooked salmon dinner). He is considered one of the state’s top facilitators and has participated in at least 65 PLT activities to date. He developed Erosion in Motion, to teach fourth and fifth graders about soil erosion prevention. He also has organized day-long forest awareness programs and organized community tree-planting events.

“It doesn’t matter if Mike is shaking hands with principals, talking to teachers, leading workshops, organizing the silent auction, or cooking a salmon dinner, he is constantly promoting PLT and he’s constantly giving back.”—Angie Soldinger, Texas Forest Service, College Station, TX

Barbara Murphy, Gifted Specialist, Westlawn Middle School, Huntsville, AL

To Barbara, teaching about the environment is “a natural hook” to get kids excited about learning. Her goals are to strengthen and develop a program that provides outdoor experiences for her students, connects her school with the community, and provides students with hands-on experience in addressing environmental issues. In addition to teaching environmental education and Spanish as electives, Barbara conducts enrichment classes in topics that range from gardening to rocketry to Italian. She involves children in Alabama Water Watch, CoCoRah (which teaches about precipitation), and, of course, PLT. In 2006, a GreenWorks! grant laid the foundation for an award-winning student-led project to create an outdoor classroom. Barbara, an avid hiker, outdoor photographer, and wildflower enthusiast, has encouraged many other teachers to incorporate the environment into their curriculum. She is an avid hiker, outdoor photographer, and wildflower enthusiast.

“Teaching about the environment is a natural hook to get kids excited about learning.”—Barbara Murphy, Westland Middle School, Huntsville, AL

Kayleen Pritchard, Consultant, Pacific Education Institute, Indianola, WA

As a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, Kayleen used PLT with her students in the Everett School District, taking them outdoors to explore the environment and helping to develop a nearby park. The park continues to be used as a place for outdoor learning. She then became responsible for the school district’s science curriculum where she involved many teachers in PLT professional development and integrated PLT lessons into curricula for the district’s two outdoor learning sites. Now, as a consultant for the Pacific Education Institute, she incorporates PLT into district-wide curriculum throughout the state, presents integrated models of EE at conferences, facilitates PLT professional development, and interacts with students. She was a member of a team that developed and wrote a field investigation guide to show how environmental education can achieve science standards. She also served on the state’s Environment and Sustainability committee to draft environment and sustainability standards.

“As a result of Kayleen’s work, students and teachers delve deeper into issues, therefore becoming better prepared to be active, knowledgeable citizens.”—Lynne Ferguson, Pacific Education Institute, Olympia, WA

Jennifer Richardson, Fifth Grade Science and Social Studies Teacher, Wooster Elementary School, Greenbrier, AR

Jennifer has taken on a leading role in her school district as a champion of environmental education. She serves on the Arkansas Environmental Literacy Plan Committee, charged with developing a plan for the future of environmental education in the state. Jennifer is also always on the lookout for creative, practical ways to study the environment. She uses PLT with her fifth-graders and is also the leader for many school-wide efforts, including recycling, composting, and developing a nature trail. In fact, students became so enthused about working on the trail during recess that recess-related discipline problems declined, and standardized science test scores rose. Jennifer coordinates a monthly publication called Wooster Wild for teachers to share instructional strategies and resources. When she participated in the George Washington Teacher Institute, she even developed a lesson plan on Washington’s life as a farmer and environmentalist that incorporates PLT information about conservation during the 18th century!

“When students worked on construction of a nature trail at our school, many discipline problems at recess disappeared.”—Lenett Thrasher, Principal, Wooster Elementary School, Greenbrier, AR,

Gwynne Rife, Professor of Biology and Education, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH

Gwynne includes PLT activities in her nature interpretation, biology, and education courses and also has facilitated many PLT teacher workshops. She immerses preservice and inservice teachers in outdoor experiences to engage them in the natural world and enrich their learning. She piloted biotech activities, a new supplement to PLT’s secondary module Focus on Risk, and provided input for another PLT secondary curriculum Global Connections: Forests of the World. Gwynne consistently shows the effectiveness of using PLT with as many of her college students as she can through courses and workshops.

“Gwynne has consistently utilized PLT as an effective tool for teachers to use to teach science and inquiry-based education.”—Sue Wintering, Project Learning Tree Ohio, Columbus, OH

Laurie Root, Naturalist, South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks, Rapid City, SD

Laurie has trained more educators and recruited more facilitators than anyone else in South Dakota PLT history! She excels in teaching about the state’s wildlife, habitats, natural history, and outdoor skills to people of all ages. She is considered the hub that connects many spokes of EE activity in South Dakota, connecting teachers with natural resource professionals and building a community of educators and others interested in the environment. She initially worked at a fish hatchery and returned to college for a degree in outdoor education. She brings a wonderful sense of humor, amazing connection to the audience, and power of building relationships in every presentation and workshop she gives. Outside of the traditional workshops with teachers, she has been instrumental in training day care workers, Head Start staff, and youth group leaders and participants.

“Laurie offers a great balance and experience to enhance our PLT program in South Dakota. She lives her passion for environmental education daily.”—Dianne Miller, South Dakota Project Learning Tree, Spearfish, SD

Krissy Varness, Sixth Grade Math and Science Teacher, DePoali Middle School, Reno, NV

Every few weeks, Krissy poses an environmental problem-solving activity to her students in which they debate possible solutions to an issue. She makes these issues come alive for her students. As a teacher in a new “green” school building, Krissy has taken the lead in introducing students to the environment-related features of their campus. She cosponsors the school’s Green Club and has incorporated PLT’s Energy & Society into her curriculum. At a previous school where Krissy taught seventh grade, she brought her students outdoors to use the environment to learn math concepts. She has been instrumental in supporting the growth of PLT in Nevada. She is a member of the Advisory Board and the 2009 Standards Correlation Committee. Since Krissy was introduced to PLT in 2009, much of Nevada PLT’s rejuvenated growth is thanks to her advocacy and energy.

“It was great! [My students] were having fun learning. And they were outside enjoying the trees and natural beauty around their school. The activities allowed them to collaborate, solve problems, and take risks in learning new concepts.”—Krissy Varness, DePoali Middle School, Reno, NV