The New Hampshire Environmental Educators presents awards annually to individuals who stand out as exemplary in their ability to engage students in environmental studies in lasting and meaningful ways. The awards are presented in three categories: elementary school (K-6), middle/secondary school (7-12), and non-formal educators. Recognition of this year’s award winners occurred at the NHEE annual conference on March 12, 2008. Congratulations to this year’s outstanding NH environmental educators!

The 2008 Environmental Educator of the Year Award Recipients

Elementary Category:
The Antrim Elementary School Reverence of Place Committee

When Antrim Elementary School Principal Debbie Lesure heard a 3rd grader say, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there were a woods in Antrim?”, she brought her staff together to see how they could address this question, because of course in a rural town like Antrim, there is a lot of woods! The Reverence of Place Committee was formed, made up of Debbie, 1st grade teacher Michele Johnson, 4th grade teacher Fabiola Woods, Judith Bernardi the School Nurse and Ann Marie Given, a Paraprofessional. Together these women put together a comprehensive curriculum to truly build a reverence of place for the students in their school. Using the McCabe Forest (189 acre preserve owned by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, within walking distance of the school) students explored vernal pools, searched for insects, examined trees, studied habitats, and had many hands-on experiences. They became engaged in their learning by creating Quests, using clues to guide visitors to special spots. The year culminated with a special family event where children got to teach their parents about the woods they had come to love.

By linking the rubrics of education into the natural world, both environments were enhanced. School and learning became richer and the McCabe Forest now has a huge fan club. Thanks to the Reverence of Place Initiative, it’s not only cool to have a woods in Antrim, but it’s even cooler that children and their families know about it and feel a sense of connection to it.

Middle/Secondary Category:
Kathleen Benoit, Gorham High School Biology and
Ecology Teacher

Over a decade ago, Kathleen Benoit recognized the value of teaching her students using community resources. She brought together the Math, Science, and Family and Consumer Science Departments at Gorham High School, as well as the US Forest Service, the Town Forester and other local foresters, NH Fish and Game, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and local land owners to collaborate on two projects that would create new opportunities for students. These projects allow students to gain an appreciation for the environment in which they live, learn math and science proficiencies using hands-on activities and field experiences, explore the various careers involved in the forest, and give back to the community by applying the acquired skills to improve some aspect of the community.

The first project, Freshman Forest Field Days, utilizes the local town forest (Paul Doherty Memorial Forest) as well as professionals and other community members who volunteer their time to teach the students stream ecology, forest engineering practices, trail maintenance, soils, NH wildlife, forest diseases, and tree identification. Students are actively engaged in learning about and discovering how they are connected as well as their impacts on forest ecosystems. Students are challenged to consider their actions, those of the community, and how they affect and are affected by the environment.

The second project, Sophomore Forest Survival Day, held during the winter, challenges students to navigate to a pre-determined plot in the woods to establish a Continuous Forest Inventory on the plot, which is ultimately used by the Town Forester in determining a sustainable annual timber harvest.

Kathleen Benoit is an enthusiastic educator who is never content to rely on old methods. She both challenges and nurtures her students to bring out the best in them.

Non-formal Category:
Julia Steed Mawson, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension

In 1977, Julia Steed Mawson joined UNH Cooperative Extension and served as the Director of the Visitor Center at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH. For more than a decade she shared her creativity, enthusiasm and knowledge with the Sea Grant Program, Marine Docents, college interns, and school children. She co-authored marine education books, was a founding member of the Gulf of Maine Marine Educators and spent a lot of time in tide pools. In 1991 she moved inland to direct the Pine Island 4-H Environmental Education Center in Manchester and focus on the needs of urban youth and families. She continues to bring an environmental focus to 4-H programs in Hillsborough County and an inclusive focus to the environmental education community in New Hampshire.

Her most recent accomplishment includes coordinating the NH Common Ground Garden Program where she has built partnerships between the Massabesic Audubon center, the Manchester Housing Authority, Latin American Center of Manchester, Girls, Inc of Manchester and many others. Her students (many of whom are at risk youth) plan and plant gardens and grow food for themselves and local food pantries. By doing so, they connect with the earth and each other, enhance their own nutritional health and work toward improving the health of their community and the planet. Julia’s work broadens what it means to be an environmental educator and serves as a reminder of the importance and unique gifts that each living being brings to the table.