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Amy Hochschild of Burton Elementary School is Recognized as Ohio Conservation Teacher of the Year!
Each year the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (OFSWCD) recognizes two outstanding classroom teachers (elementary and secondary) from across the
state, chosen for their exemplary efforts and commitment to conservation education. The Geauga SWCD is proud to announce that Amy Hochschild of Burton Elementary School has been named the Ohio Conservation Teacher of the Year in the elementary category. In September, the District recognized Amy as Geauga County’s 2018-2019 Conservation Teacher of the Year and nominated her for the statewide award. Her efforts did not go unnoticed as she was selected for Ohio as the winner! She was recognized at the O F S W C D Annual Meeting
Awards Luncheon on February 26th in Columbus where she received an award.
As an educator Amy is creative, fun, and supportive to her students. She engages them with hands-on experiences, projects, and activities. She also challenges herself with new experiences and takes risks as an educator. Her hunger to learn has taken her to trainings from Texas to the Grand Tetons, and she recently attended the District's first ever Wonders of Soil workshop. After taking this workshop, she is now incorporating different soil types into her ancient civilizations social studies unit!
The following is a list of opportunities that Amy provides to reinforce the classroom content and increase her students’ overall comprehension. She coordinates Burton Elementary's 6th Grade Camp
program to engage the students with outdoor science lessons during a week of school and has been a critical part of this for over two decades.
She serves as S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Club Advisor with over 50 fifth and sixth graders participating.
2019
Watershed Ripples
The mission of the
Geauga Soil and Water
Conservation District
is “To conserve,
protect, and enhance
the natural resources
of Geauga County by
providing leadership,
education, and
assistance to all.”
GEAUGA SOIL
AND WATER
C ONSERVATION
D ISTRICT
14269 Claridon-Troy Rd.
P.O. Box 410
Burton, OH 44021
Phone: 440-834-1122
Fax:440-834-0316
Email:
Website:
www.geaugaswcd.com
Like Us!
Inside this Issue:
Teacher of the Year (TOY) 1
TOY continued... 2
Big Tree Contest
Envirothon
3 Program Offerings
Ag in Classroom Grant
MYC Save the Date
4
Continued on page 2...
Nominated by Geauga SWCD, Amy (left) accepted her award at the Awards
Luncheon and (right) poses for a photo with OFSWCD President-Elect Bob Short.
Watershed Ripples Page 2
Geauga County Big Tree Contest
The Geauga SWCD 2019 Geauga County BIG TREE Contest is currently seeking nominations! This voluntary contest promotes the beauty and benefits provided by our county’s biggest and oldest trees, along with their contributions to clean water and healthy soil. The 2019 featured tree is the (Platanus occidentalis). Buffering the banks of rivers and streams, these white bark beauties intercept pollutants, reduce erosion, and stabilize channels, while providing critical food and shelter to many wildlife species.
Participants must submit a nomination for an American Sycamore tree which they believe might be the largest in the county. After all nominations are submitted, qualified personnel will verify the measurements using the ODNR Division of Forestry’s Big Tree Program procedures. Each tree will receive a score based on trunk circumference, crown spread, and total height to determine the winner. In addition, the District will consider each tree’s ability to capture stormwater along with other economical benefits. Locating our biggest Sycamore trees can foster awareness and streamside protection. .
The objectives of this contest are: To engage residents in the recognition, management, and enhancement of our county’s tree populations. To showcase the critical roles that trees play in sustaining healthy soil and clean water. And to recognize that each healthy tree in our county reduces flooding and improves water quality by soaking up stormwater runoff and filtering out pollutants
BIG TREE Contest Guidelines:
Nominated trees must be American Sycamore trees located in Geauga County. (Visit the Ohio Division of Forestry's website http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/americanbeech to review characteristics.)
Only one nomination per individual tree. The first nomination received will be entered into the contest. The tree does not have to be on the property of the nominator; however, permission from the landowner must be obtained prior
to nomination. Nominations must be submitted to Geauga SWCD no later than August 1st -
3:30 pm. Please email to [email protected] or submit in person or through the mail to the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, PO Box 410, 14269 Claridon-Troy Road, Burton, OH 44021.
Qualified District personnel will verify all nominated tree measurements and use the tree benefits calculator (treebenefits.com/calculator/) to provide the stormwater runoff reduction capability. The decision of the District will be final.
Geauga County’s BIG TREE will be recognized and awarded at the District’s Annual Meeting in the fall. For more information contact Geauga SWCD at geaugaswcd.com, 440-834-1122, or [email protected].
She is also the Science Olympiad Advisor. They are in their fourth year of competing in this event at Case Western Reserve and so far she always brings back medalists!
She coordinates "Science Night to Remember" at Burton Elementary, putting the students science projects on display, inviting special guests and community members to share exhibits and demos with students and parents, and honoring students' efforts with awards.
She utilizes Geauga SWCD and other community agencies to enhance her curriculum with programs including Soil Sleuth, Stream Team Detectives, and Nature Scopes to name a few.
Amy is developing a Project Based Learning unit on Soil, hoping her students can work with local farmers & community members to create projects that improve soil quality.
Congratulations to Amy for being chosen as the OFSWCD Ohio Teacher of the Year. Her efforts fostering environmental stewardship in elementary students is helping to shape their future and the future of Geauga County!
Amy Hochschild of Burton Elementary School is Recognized as Ohio Conservation Teacher of the Year!….Continued from page 1
Congratulations to Geauga County Envirothon Teams
The Envirothon is an annual, international competition that has proven to be an exciting and useful tool for incorporating STEM education into high school classrooms. The Envirothon mission is to develop knowledgeable, skilled, and dedicated high school students who are willing to work towards achieving and maintaining a natural balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment.
The teams consist of five students who compete first at the Area II Envirothon, which includes 17 counties in Northeastern Ohio. The Area II Envirothon was held at Camp Beaumont in Ashtabula County hosted by Trumbull and Ashtabula County on April 25, 2019. The four highest scoring teams will advance to the State Envirothon taking place June 10-11 at Franciscan University. Chardon High School Red Team placed 3rd as well as received the highest score in Soils and Chardon Black Team placed 15th at the Area II Envirothon. Berkshire, Chardon, and West Geauga each brought teams to the competition. Berkshire B team placed 10th and A team placed 35th and West Geauga High School team White placed 14th with team Blue placing 27th. Chardon Red Team will be joining Broadman Hawks (1st place) from Mahoning, Perry High School (2nd place) from Lake, and Amory Lovins Apreciation Society (4th place) from Cuyahoga at the State Envirothon.
Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District would like to congratulate the Geauga County teams on their outstanding performance and wish Chardon Red Team good luck at the State Competition!
For more information on how your school can get involved in the Envirothon Competition, call Katie Nainiger at the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District at 440-834-1122.
Watershed Ripples Page 3
Conservation Education Programs!
Available for schools, camps, KOA, youth groups and more! Schedule today!
Hands-on, interactive, and fun Free of charge!
Pond Exploration Buggin' Out
Stream Quality Monitoring Web of Life Soil Sleuths
Soil to Spoon Where Does Your Watershed?
Stream Team Detectives Incredible Journey
Beneficial Bats Freddie the Fish
What's Under Your Feet? Groundwater Wildlife Detectives Wildlife in Winter
Trees are TREEmendous! Soil to Spoon
Stormwater Stewards "Pond"ering Signs Left Behind
Caterpillar Spring Butterfly Summer
Contact Gail Prunty, Education/Communications Specialist, at 440-834-1122
ext 2# or [email protected] to schedule a youth program or school
Ag in the Classroom Grant
Mike Sustin of West Geauga High School was awarded the Geauga SWCD "Ag in the Classroom" Grant to assist with the continued growth of his Aquaponics project. The goal of the project is to engage students in the
understanding of the globally growing problem of food production while feeding a growing population. Science students are responsible for fish and
plant health and maintaining a healthy chemical and nutrient balance. Fruits of their labor are yummy Thai basil, arugula and leaf lettuce. We look forward to watching this project "grow" and are proud to partner with locals
schools to assist in innovative education.
Another grant cycle will be offered in the fall if you are interested please contact Katie Nainiger, [email protected].
Watershed Ripples...Here’s the Dirt Page 4
Save the Date
State Envirothon-Franciscan University, Stuebenville,OH June 9-11, 2019
2019 Ohio Forestry and Wildlife Camp Canopy June 9-14, 2019
Geauga SWCD Advanced “Wonders of Watershed” Workshop June 24-26, 2019
National Conservation Foundation (North American) Envirothon North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina July 28-August 1, 2019
Big Tree Contest-Geauga SWCD Deadline August 1, 2019
OPHI Symposium-Columbus August 22, 2019
Fall Fish Sale-Geauga SWCD September 19, 2019
Geauga SWCD 75th Anniversary Celebration-Annual Meeting October 10, 2019
For more information
on endangered
pollinators and their
habitats visit http://
pollinator.org/
Geauga SWCD needs YOU!
Grab your water shoes and join the MYC team! In MYC we will use kick seines, sediment sticks, pH test kits, and
more while analyzing the
health of Geauga County's streams and rivers.
Contact Colleen Sharp (440)834-1122 or [email protected]
Your Geauga SWCD Education Contacts
Katie Nainiger Conservation Education Coordinator [email protected] 440-834-1122 ext. 4
Gail Prunty Education/Communications Specialist [email protected] 440-834-1122 ext. 2
