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Watershed Education
STRAW Faculty
STRAW designed a program that provides additional teacher support for restoration projects. This project, which is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, started in August 2007. STRAW has been working with available teachers to provide classroom presentations on topics related to the students’ work with the environment at the classroom teacher’s request. Lessons are developed on key topics, such as water quality, bacteria, birds, etc., with age-appropriate content. Teachers may also request other specific classroom presentations and if we can, we’ll provide it! In addition, co-planning opportunities are available to interested teachers who want someone to brainstorm with, map out lessons, and plan activities!
Our goal is to support the classroom teacher and students in their studies of the environment and the STRAW Project.
Participating STRAW teachers who are interested in discussing available classroom presentations or co-planning should contact Kathleen Brown, STRAW Outreach Coordinator, at (707) 763-4572 or by email at kbrown0723@sbcglobal.net.
Kathleen Brown, Outreach Coordinator, was an elementary classroom teacher for 15 years before becoming an Assistant Principal and Principal. She was a Special Education Director and has coordinated a district program for the gifted. Kathleen has served as a district mentor to new teachers and was involved in the Teacher Learning Cooperative in Marin as well at the Critical Thinking Project. In addition to working with STRAW, Kathleen is a ceramic artist and runs her own business.
Paula Fogarty, STRAW Faculty Member, taught biology, environmental science and physical science at a Santa Rosa High School. Her classes were heavily involved with creek restoration and surveys of aquatic insects. She was on the board of directors of Sonoma County ReLeaf and coordinated an urban forest inventory in which science students from all Santa Rosa secondary schools participated. She helped plan and participated in a student-teacher exchange with schools in Ukraine that focused on water quality. Besides working as a STRAW Faculty Member, Paula designs, manufactures and sells teaching aids for life science.
Meryl Sundove, STRAW Faculty Member, worked for 22 years as an education coordinator and environmental education specialist at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center. Her specialties included teaching children and adults about the San Francisco Bay, marine ecology, other wildlife and their habitats. She was a research assistant and field studies administrator at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. She also was a classroom teacher and has traveled extensively around the world as an Audubon leader and naturalist. Meryl remains active with the Marin Audubon Society and trains Bay Shore Studies docents.
Ruth Hicks, STRAW Faculty Member, was a classroom teacher in the Ross Valley District for 29 years, teaching grades 3 through 8th over the years. She joined fellow teacher, Laurette Rogers, working with the students in the Shrimp Club. The Shrimp Club was the forerunner of the STRAW project. After her retirement she worked in the STRAW program for seven years, retiring in June of 2007. Despite officially retiring from STRAW, she continues to provide classroom slide presentations prior to the restorations.