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| Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and First Lady Dianne celebrate with Amy Clark, from Austinville Elementary School, Alabama's 2012 Conservation Educator of the Year. |
Amy
was one of 14 individuals who received Conservation Achievement
Awards at a formal banquet held at the Marriott Hotel and Conference
Center at Capitol Hill in Montgomery, Alabama. Award categories
included Conservation Educator, Youth Conservationist, Hunter Safety
Instructor, Judicial Conservationist, Legislative Conservationist,
Forest Conservationist, and others.
A
number of dignitaries joined the Governor at the awards banquet,
including N. Gunter Guy, Jr., Alabama's Commissioner of Conservation
and Natural Resources, and Tim Gothard, Executive Director of the
Alabama Wildlife Federation.
In
receiving the award, Clark said, "the outdoor classroom has
truly been a journey for our school and our students. I'm
grateful for our outstanding sponsors and volunteers who have made
the project possible and for our strong relationship with the Alabama
Wildlife Federation."
Amy's
passion for conservation education stems from her time spent outdoors
growing up in Fayetteville and Lincoln County, Tennessee. Teaching
at an urban elementary school in Decatur, Alabama, Amy found that
most of her students lacked the opportunity to experience nature and
the outdoors firsthand. She became inspired to work with her
principal, Beth Hales, and fellow teachers to turn a small courtyard
area into an outdoor classroom where students could explore nature
and observe wildlife in a natural habitat.
In
2007, Amy organized community volunteers to build their first outdoor
learning station - an aquatic habitat area where students study a
wide variety of wildlife, including fish, frogs, and dragonflies.
She also established bird feeder stations, which led to an
unexpected experience for the children to witness the food chain
firsthand: a kestrel set up its home near the school so it could prey
on birds that were visiting the feeders. Amy brought in experts
to talk with the students about "Birds of Alabama,"
including raptors such as the kestrel.
To
increase her students' exposure to conservation, she also brought in
a forester to teach the children about forest management practices.
For the past three years, students have been able to take home tree
seedlings donated by the Alabama Forestry Commission.
Over
the years, through Amy's diligence and fundraising prowess, she and
her students have been able to add a variety of learning stations to
their outdoor classroom. They converted a concrete koi pond
into a turtle habitat, constructed raised bed gardens to plant seeds
and watch them grow, and installed a birdhouse with a remote camera
which allows the students to watch bluebirds raise their brood each
year.
Through
Amy’s leadership, Austinville Elementary School has turned an area
that used to be the home of the "portable trailer classroom"
into an oasis for wildlife where students not only get to observe
nature, they get to experience it firsthand.
For
her untiring efforts for conservation education and for being the
"cool" teacher every kid wants, Amy was awarded the 2012
Conservation Educator of the Year for the state of Alabama.
"The
journey we began in 2007 continues today," Clark said. "From
a classroom window, I can watch kindergarten students planting seeds
and placing pots in the greenhouse. Older students test water
temperatures in the koi and turtle ponds and examine water samples
under a microscope. Art students sketch flora and fauna
throughout the year. The entire outdoor classroom is a place of
learning and enjoyment for everyone who attends, works in, and visits
our school. I cannot help but smile. Our students' love
for nature and the environment is evident, and I truly believe our
mission is well on its way."
