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Six Massachusetts Residents Win Environmental Educator Awards

Release Date: 06/28/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017, [email protected]

For Immediate Release: June 28, 2005; Release # dd050607

BOSTON -- Six Massachusetts teachers were among 11 teachers in New England who were recognized recently by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for demonstrating exceptional work in drinking water education.

The Environmental Educator Awards were given out last month during a Drinking Water Week celebration at the Massasoit Community College in Brockton.

“EPA applauds this year’s Environmental Educators,” said Robert Varney, Regional Administrator of EPA’s New England Office. “By sharing their knowledge about drinking water, these educators are developing the attitudes and commitment for our children to become stewards of this important resource.”

The recipients in Massachusetts were:

• Victoria Stripling, a teacher at the Brooks School in North Andover, was recognized for her commitment to teaching students that Lake Cochichewick is a precious resource. Stripling’s goal is to not only teach the students about water processes, but to make them stewards of the lake.
• Wendy Pavlicek, a natural science specialist, works with the Burlington School System. Pavlicek was recognized for her efforts to teach students about the hydrodologic cycle and water conservation.
• Carol Anne Stevens, treasurer of the Dighton Water District, dedicates her services to drinking water education. Stevens is the person behind the scenes who has fostered the drinking water education program in Dighton.
• Debbe Fuller was honored for co-chairing the Youth Education Committee and for her involvement with the Harwich Water Department’s Youth Education Program. In addition, Fuller was recognized for her leadership in educating students and teachers on drinking water issues on Cape Cod.
• Katy Aborn and Polly Brown, both teachers with the Touchstone Community School in Grafton, devised and put in place a unit on local water resources and the need to protect them. The program was designated a Creative Schools program by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. In the process of creating an educational video, their students did a watershed project that follows the Blackstone River from its headwaters to Narragansett Bay.