Flagstaff Academy teacher receives environmental award
Dec. 6—When Stacy Wolff switched from wildlife conservation field work to education, she kept her passion for environmental science.
Wolff, an elementary school science teacher at Flagstaff Academy Charter School in
Longmont, recently received the Outstanding Environmental Educator Award from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education.
"I'm curious about pretty much everything," Wolff said. "I love working with younger students and helping them be curious and realize they can learn and grow as critical thinkers. They're really excited to learn and experience."
Flagstaff Executive Principal Katie Guastafson said Wolff is an asset to the school.
"She is one of the most innovative teachers in the field and her enthusiasm for science education is evidenced every day," Gustafson wrote in a press release. "The beauty of her craft is that she is more than willing to share her passion, strategies and love for science with anyone and everyone."
In her 11 years at Flagstaff, Wolff started several programs and clubs, including the Green Team. The Green Team, a student club focused on sustainability, created a food rescue table in the cafeteria, a school-wide recycling initiative in partnership with EcoCycle's Green Star Schools program and an outdoor classroom.
Wolff said the idea for the Green Team, which has grown to about 50 students and four staff advisors since it started four years ago, came from a group of fourth graders concerned about a lack of recycling.
"All of the different initiatives were inspired by conversations with students," she said.
She also developed a watershed education program for fifth graders, showcased student research at a scientific conference and started the Marsketeers Club for students to learn about space with NASA scientists.
For the watershed program, she worked with the fifth-grade classroom teachers to develop lessons focused on developing a sense of place and learning about water resource sharing.
Wolff, who teaches Flagstaff's science lab attended by students on a rotating basis, starts by providing students with foundational knowledge of watersheds, including asking students to model and map the local watershed. Outside organizations and experts then provide water focused activities, including a study of macroinvertebrates. Students also take a field trip to nearby Ollin Farms to learn about soil conservation.
She added that environmental education is her way of making a positive difference.
"It's really fun," she said. "It's such a great job."
