At Outdoor School, I chose Monarch to represent growth and resilience. I guide students to connect identity with natural phenomena, shaping my vision for meaningful, student-centered environmental science education. After 28 years of teaching about the environment, this stays!
Years at Shaver’s Creek: 1996–1997
Positions Held: Outdoor School
Current Company/Organization: The Pennsbury School District
At Outdoor School, I embraced the nature name Monarch to reflect my ability to adapt, grow, and navigate change, much like the butterfly’s metamorphosis and migration. This identity aligns with my work as a veteran science educator and K–12 curriculum leader, where I guide students and teachers through growth, transformation, and meaningful learning experiences rooted in real-world connections. I bring this philosophy into my teaching by having students in greenhouse production choose their own nature names, encouraging them to connect personal identity with natural systems and reflect on who they are becoming as young adults. These experiences in outdoor environmental education, combined with standards-aligned curriculum design, professional development, and STEM initiatives, have shaped my mission and vision for science education in the Pennsbury School District; fostering meaningful, identity-driven, and environmentally connected learning. My time at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center deeply shaped this journey, grounding my philosophy in experiential, place-based education. It reinforced the power of inquiry, reflection, and connection to the natural world, inspiring me to design learning experiences that cultivate curiosity, resilience, and environmental stewardship in both students and educators. I still keep in touch with good friend “ROCK,” a Biology teacher in Pennsylvania like me. 🙂