Courtney honored at Wyoming conservation convention

Colleen Courtney was honored at the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts Annual Convention as the Teacher of the Year for her work in educating kids about the importance of conservation.

"It's a big convention where we pass resolutions, listen to legislators and get to speak with the House and Senate," says Raesha Sell, CCNRD.

"There's a luncheon set aside to recognize award winners. There are thirty-four conservation districts within the state and each one of us gets to nominate individuals for the awards."

The CCNRD Board of Supervisors nominated Colleen Courtney as Teacher of the Year in recognition of her 24 years of teaching and her dedication and passion in that role. According to the nomination, Courtney seeks to provide engaging-hands on opportunities for her students that encourage their desire to learn more.

"She's an incredible teacher – she is so dedicated and her students love her," says Sell.

"She has opened up her classroom to allow us to use our grant funding to teach kids and adults both about water pollution and has helped me develop lessons that complement her school standards but also are in line with the grant requirements."

Courtney has coordinated with CCNRD to provide hands-on educational lessons that align with the science curriculum for the first grade, covering topics such as "Fashion a Fish," "Pollution Potion," and "Camping Contamination," all of which emphasize the importance of water conservation. She also utilizes Project Learning Tree, Growing Up Wild and Wyoming Ag in the Classroom curriculums to enhance her students' knowledge of natural resources.

Courtney teaches her students to understand topics such as life cycles, adaptations and being a good steward of the land. She achieves this through experiences such as growing meal worms and milkweed bugs and designing figurine farms.

According to the nomination, Courtney has a deep appreciation for the land having grown up on a ranch with a father who served on numerous conservation committees. Today, she manages a flock of sheep and maintains her passion for sharing conservation concepts with her students, giving back to society by growing her students into educated, well-rounded citizens.