Outstanding Watershed teachers, projects cited

HUNTER, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2007 - Five classroom instructors were hailed as "Outstanding Watershed Teachers," and six others were recognized for special achievements in 2007, during the 40th Annual Conference of the New York State Outdoor Education Association (NYSOEA)

The conference, held in Hunter, Greene County November 2-4, was coordinated by the Ashokan Field Campus of SUNY New Paltz, which is itself celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2007.

The Watershed Educators Network distributed the awards to the 11 teachers at a luncheon ceremony Friday. The Network is an affiliation of organizations and schools providing classroom lessons, outdoor learning, teacher training and cultural experiences related to the New York City water system and Watershed which supplies nine million people with more than a billion gallons of clean, fresh water each day.

The awards were presented in observance of the 10th anniversary of the NYC Watershed Memorandum of Agreement which established many partnership programs and helped launched a host of water and environmental education initiatives.

Honored with Outstanding Watershed Teacher Awards were Bob Connick of Mahopac High School; Eileen Kline of South Kortright Central School, Pat Ryan of PS133 in Queens, Joyce Valenti of Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School, and Michele Yokell of PS 116 in Manhattan.

These five teachers were noted for their dedication and long commitment to watershed education, their creativity and resourcefulness in devising lessons and student projects, their enthusiasm in sharing their work with colleagues and community, and for truly going "above and beyond."

Six teachers who were instrumental in the success of two unique Watershed projects in 2007 were named recipients of Special Watershed Achievement Awards.

Four teachers participated in the Mountaintop to Tap Trek in which 12 students from the New York Harbor School in Brooklyn, and Sidney Central School in far western Delaware County hiked, floated and rowed more than 100 miles from the source of the City’s water in the Catskills to Central Park in New York City. The trek took place over three weeks in July and was sponsored by Stroud Water Research Center and many other organizations.

Teachers accompanying the students for all or part of the trek were Tizoc Gomez and Sara Scott of the Harbor School, Todd Paternoster of Sidney Central School, and Ed McGee of Andes Central School.

Also receiving awards were two teachers who coordinated the production of a 40-mintute video documentary on the history of the community of Shavertown, which was among those claimed for the Pepacton Reservoir. Colleen Heavey and Wendy Redden, who teach at tiny Andes Central School, were honored for directing this project which involved ACS media students.

Presenting the awards at the conference were Aaron Bennett, Director of Education at the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development; Kim Estes-Fradis, Education Director for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection; Diane Galusha, Education Coordinator at the Catskill Watershed Corp.; and Rochelle Gandour, who works for Trout Unlimited, directing the Trout in the Classroom program.

The teachers received a special certificate and a one-of-a-kind hand-turned wood item made by John Perella (Katroc Woodworks) of Neversink, Sullivan County.