Peter Dumont
NHEE is proud to present the 2017 Environmental Educator of the Year Award to Peter Dumont. Peter teaches life sciences at Newfound Regional High School, where he has worked with community partners to create an engaging and meaningful learning experience for his students. Paul Hoiriis, Principal of Newfound Regional High School writes, “In his eleven years in the teaching profession, he has continued to develop and grow as an educator, never afraid of change and learning new methods…Peter has developed curriculum that is real world, hands-on, and often connects students with our local resources and environment.” For example, Peter coordinated with Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest to help students create tree health assessments in his class. While he has experience teaching a wide-range of classes in biology and physical science, he continually challenges himself by offering new classes for students to delve into, such as Zoology, which will be added to the courses available at Newfound Regional High School. He also frequently utilizes the surrounding area and the school greenhouse to teach students outside of the classroom.
In addition to his work in the classroom, Peter also serves as an advisor to the Outdoor Club in his community and offers New Hampshire Fish and Game Hunter Education classes. In these activities he encourages students to form connections with their environment and build a conservation ethic that will last throughout their lives. Recently Peter coordinated a deep sea fishing trip to help students learn about marine ecology. He also assisted with a new program, Newfound Adventures, which included visits to Mt. Washington to view the unique ecology of the alpine zone, a nearby Pine Barren, and Odiorne Point to see an example of an intertidal ecological community. Peter continues to make a positive impact on his school and community and we are pleased to celebrate his contributions to Environmental Education.