They incorporate stewardship lessons into outdoor curriculum
Hillsborough High School’s team of environmental science teachers was recently honored by the N.J. Audubon Society.
The environmental science team of Joseph Hernandez, Tracey Jameson, Ron Knight, Kate LaCorte, Joanne Rimmler and Lucille Titus were given the society’s Patricia F. Kane Environmental Education Award.
Named in honor of an environmental educator and Audubon volunteer, the annual award recognizes an educator who integrated the environment into their lessons.
The teachers developed a freshman-level environmental science course that incorporates the topic of stewardship awareness with an outdoor experience that provides students with real-life learning opportunities.
The class met in and outside of the classroom to allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the personal role they play in protecting the local environment and natural resources.
With input from the team of teachers Dale Rosselet and Michael Pollack, NJ Audubon nominated the high school team because they were “impressed with their commitment to providing real-life experiences for their students through thoughtful integration of environmental issues into the curriculum.”
Mr. Rosselet and Mr. Pollack worked with the Hillsborough teachers at the Summer Institute Field Studies for Teachers held at Duke Farms. The teachers learned methods to integrate what they learned at the Duke Farms program into the environmental science curriculum in Hillsborough High School courses, like geophysical science, advanced geophysical science honors, and ap environmental science, for advanced grades.