Slocan Valley teacher earns CBEEN Award of Excellence
By The Nelson Daily Staff
Teacher Rita Corcoran from the Slocan Valley has been recognized as one of a dozen local educators across the Columbia Basin region to receive a CBEEN Award of Excellence.
Corcoran, a primary teacher in the Slocan Valley, is a firm believer that instilling an environmental ethic from a young age has a lasting impact on people.
As such, Rita has made environmental education her life’s focus.
“The 2022 award winners include early years, Indigenous, and community educators, along with primary and intermediate teachers. All are committed to creating opportunities for people to connect with, learn about, and learn from our amazing local environment” said Mia King, Program Manager for the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN).
“We are grateful for their dedication to increasing the ecological literacy of students, professionals, and community members throughout the Columbia Basin.”
Corcoran currently, has weekly class for K-3 students, immersing them in place-based learning and normalizing being outdoors.
She is a strong believer in making space for emergent curriculum, and her confidence in plant identification, tracking, and bird ID has leveraged many emergent experiences.
Other CBEEN’s 2022 Awards of Excellence in Environmental Education are:
- Indigenous Educator – Jenna Jasek (Invermere)
- Indigenous Educator – Lisa Moore (Revelstoke)
- Primary Teacher – Caren Nagao (Golden)
- Primary Teacher – Jodi Casey (Invermere)
- Intermediate Teacher – Matt Kieller (Revelstoke)
- Intermediate Teacher – Sarah Newton (Revelstoke)
- Early Years Educator – Cheryl Anderson (Kimberley)
- Early Years Educator – Evelyn Walker (Columbia Valley)
- Community Educator – Kathy Murray (Fernie/Elk Valley/South Country)
- Community Educator – Hailey Ross (Revelstoke)
- Community Educator – Jade Berrill (Revelstoke)
These educators were recognized during an awards ceremony at the provincial Classrooms to Communities 2022 Provincial Conference in Revelstoke on October 21. https://www.c2c-bc.org/annual-conference-2022
