Fuquay-Varina) - For outstanding efforts in integrating environmental education in and outside the classroom, veteran science teacher Randy Senzig of Fuquay-Varina High School was named “2009 Environmental Educator of the Year.” Senzig was recognized publicly at the 44th Annual Conservation Awards Banquet hosted by the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors and the Wake County Board of Commissioners.

On Campus

To connect his students with the natural world, Senzig offers his students a myriad of hands-on science lessons that also teach other school subjects such as math, language arts, history and social studies. For example, he uses nature journaling to hone students’ observational skills and develop a deeper understanding of science processes. Over the past three years, Senzig has seen his students’ test scores, attitudes and critical thinking skills vastly improve with this method.

Each Earth Day, Senzig encourages his students to take a leadership role in hosting a Science Night-Celebrating the Earth at Fuquay-Varina High School. The entire community is invited to the open house--students and faculty from all Fuquay-Varina schools, community residents and local businesses--to celebrate the wonders of science and its tremendous impact on our everyday lives.

In the Community

To connect his students to the larger community beyond classroom walls, Senzig immerses his students in the great outdoors while performing community service. One notable project is North Carolina & Wake County Big Sweep where students clean litter and heavy debris from their local watershed, Neils Branch.

A newer Community Action Project requires students to work 10 hours outside of school time in the community garden at Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church. Here, the students get their hands dirty while learning about growing organic produce, local food distribution, and feeding those less fortunate than themselves. Based on the students’ feedback, they thoroughly enjoy this meaningful work and benefit from the interactions they have with people of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Senzig is quick to point out that such outdoor learning also provides students much needed fresh air, sunshine and exercise.

Within the Largest School System in NC

Working with other teachers in the Wake County Public School System, Senzig is developing an electronic professional learning team that will help educators that teach Advanced Placement Environmental Science share labs, field trip destinations, teaching techniques, scientific data and other information that will strengthen both content and delivery of this challenging academic course across the county.

Statewide Connections

Where does an inspirational teacher find inspiration? Senzig finds support and encouragement by networking with like-minded colleagues through his statewide professional organization Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC). Both formal and nonformal educators come together to forward EENC’s mission to advance environmental literacy so that people better understand the effects of

human actions on the environment and are empowered to make informed decisions on difficult environmental issues.

Inspiration for Senzig comes from his position on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Education, Imagination and the Natural World. The mission of this Greensboro-based environmental center is based on the work of the late author Thomas Berry. “Berry’s writing is thought-provoking and has had a profound impact on my teaching philosophy,” says Senzig. “Berry believed and taught that to live in the 21st Century, we must reinvent the human in his relationship to the planet from one of seeing living things as a collection of objects to understanding them as a communion of subjects. I take this to heart every day as I impart knowledge, skills and hope to the next generation so they can successfully forge a sustainable future for themselves and those that follow.”