Susie Spikol
Susie Spikol Faber is the School Outreach Coordinator and Teacher Naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock. She has been on staff in various positions at the Harris Center since 1991. As a dedicated environmental educator she has taught a wide variety of topics to students ranging from preschoolers to senior citizens. She puts her endless energy and skills as a terrific teacher to use as the director of the Harris Center day camp, the in-school naturalist for several Monadnock Area schools, and the advisor for the Conval Envirothon team. She helped establish and run The Environmental Studies Institute, a life-long learning program for elders. She is a keen naturalist, avid gardener, beekeeper and orchardist. Susie is well known in the community as a collaborator, reaching beyond the classrooms to team up many outside of the education field to enrich the learning experience of her students.
Susie is eager to build on her knowledge and regularly engages in professional development opportunities and new explorations. She is always willing to help others learn and has served as a mentor for many graduate students and emerging professionals. One such student wrote: “Her patience with young children and adults alike is admirable, and she possesses a genuine passion for connecting kids of all ages with the natural world that she herself deeply cares for. Under her leadership I myself have grown as an educator and I feel incredibly lucky to have her guidance and ongoing mentorship as I begin my own career.”
Another tribute was submitted that sums up a lot of what Susie has done and stands for: “My first interaction with the Harris Center came when I was 6 years old. We dissected owl pellets, walked through wetlands and vernal pools, and on one cool night we called for owls in the woods around the Center. I think that those experiences and having the ever enthused Susie as our guide, made me want to really understand nature. I am 24 now, and have graduated with an Environmental Studies degree and currently work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Student Conservation Association.”
The lives of countless children and adults have been enriched by the work of Susie Spikol Faber.