1995 Outstanding Educators

Jarma Bridges, Leaksville Elementary School, Leaksville, Mississippi. An outdoor enthusiast in a pulp and paper mill town, Ms. Bridges strives to create a greater understanding of the interconnection between the environment and the town's history. A PLT facilitator, she recently constructed a Nature Trail and Outdoor Classroom where students can easily incorporate the many facets of PLT in their course work.

Heidi Busa, Marcellus High School, Marcellus, New York. Ms. Busa teaches earth science and environmental education. She is on the New York PLT steering committee, has facilitated fourteen PLT workshops, and makes promotional presentations about PLT programs. She is also a test teacher for PLT's new high school modules.

Virginia Coppedge, Spencer Elementary School, Spencer, Indiana. Since attending the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Education Camp for Teachers, Ms. Coppedge has established a new outdoor laboratory where students from several classes share responsibilities for the care and management of the plants and animals in the outdoor lab. Virginia uses many PLT activities to teach her students about the plants and animals found in the outdoor laboratory.

Vic Ramos, Principal, Dover Middle School, Fairfield, California. A staunch supporter of environmental education in school programming, Mr. Ramos is a dedicated PLT facilitator. He has served as the assistant director of the Leadership Institute for Environmental Education, and was a 1995 Minority Teaching Fellow of the St. Cloud University in Minnesota. Mr. Ramos also serves on the California PLT Advisory Council.

Gayen Wharton, Oakridge Elementary, Salt Lake City, Utah. Ms. Wharton is the past president of the Utah Society of Environmental Education, and a member of the Board of Directors of Earth Science Education. Using PLT activities, Ms. Wharton has established an outdoor classroom with the help of her students. The classroom is featured in a how-to-booklet that is shared in the PLT workshops she facilitates.