A Guelph teacher has received national recognition for her ongoing commitment to environment education.
Cathy Dykstra, a teacher at Kortright Hills Public School, was awarded the 2019 Energy Educator of the Year prize by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
“Being recognized for doing something I love to do means the world to me,” said Dykstra in a news release.
“Helping my students to thrive as capable and compassionate environmental citizens feels important and gives me hope for our future.”
The award was a result of the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, a national energy literacy program presented by Canadian Geographic Education and Shell Canada, providing Kindergarten to Grade 12 students across Canada with a fun and engaging competition to help reduce their carbon footprint and become stewards of the environment.
The annual Educator of the Year prize is given out to teachers to celebrate their contributions to improving energy literacy among Canadian students.
Going an hour without power, calculating your carbon footprint, and teaching your family how to use less water are just a few of the 16 energy-related challenges that more than 27,000 students from across Canada took part in during the eighth annual Classroom Energy Diet Challenge.
Dykstra’s class was one of nearly 1,400 classrooms from across Canada that participated in the challenge this year.
“In our school community, Mrs. Dykstra has organized our compost and recycling program, waste-free Wednesdays, she runs the Eco Leaders club, organizes attendance at ME to WE and Empowerment Day, and has organized gardening initiatives for the school to increase the number of plants that attract pollinators,” Grade 7 student Sara Judson said.
“Kortright Hills has achieved Gold EcoSchool Status and is a bee school—these successes are a direct result of the energy, encouragement, passion, dedication and support of Mrs. Dykstra. And she does it all with a smile.”
“Her positive attitude in teaching about our world and how to better care for it reflects in all of her students!” says parent Charlene King in the news release.
“Cathy Dykstra has spread so much love for the Earth—I believe she is the energy educator of many past years, this year, and many more to come.”
