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Longtime
Riverkeeper Friend Wins Educator of the Year AwardBayonne’s Barbara De Benedictis Honored By ANJEE
By Hugh M. Carola
Done? Good. Now you can read about another terrific teacher. At its annual Awards Banquet on January 6, the Association for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) bestowed its Educator of the Year Award (formal sector) on Barbara De Benedictis of Bayonne. A teacher at the city’s P.S. 14, Barbara was nominated by yours truly based, in part, upon her 10 years of working with us and our Urban Fishing Program. Since she came on board, hundreds of students have been introduced to their watershed and learned their rights and responsibilities regarding it. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with some absolutely fantastic, creative and gifted teachers over the years and Barbara is among the best,” said Captain Bill Sheehan, executive director, Hackensack Riverkeeper. “She has a passion for education and for sharing knowledge that I wish all of us had.” My nomination was supported by letters from her principal, Janice Lo Re; Lynette Lurig from the NJ DEP, who was instrumental in creating the Urban Fishing Program; and our own Jared Eudell, who worked closely with Barbara and her students. According to ANJEE Awards Committee chair Sandy Sandmeyer-Bryan, even though several other nominees were strong candidates, the committee voted unanimously to give Barbara the award based upon the wealth of information and testimonials they received. ANJEE is a statewide organization that brings together formal and nonformal educators from all disciplines into a force for environmental education. We at Hackensack Riverkeeper are proud to be active ANJEE members and we invite all our fellow educators to consider joining. For more information, go to www.ANJEE.net. |
Most people owe a debt of gratitude to special teachers
they’ve met over the years. So before you continue reading this article, close
your eyes and remember who made an impression on you and who helped shape you
into the man or woman you are today.