Sayrd Price, A Teacher at Stokes Early College High School talks With DEQ Secretary Michael Regan about the NC Environmental Education Certification Program

Sayrd Price, a teacher at Stokes Early College High School completed the NC Environmental Education Certification Program. Michael Regan, Secretary with the NC Department of Environmental Quality spoke with Sayrd about his experience in the program and his work in Stokes County. 

Watch the Interview with Secretary Regan: https://youtu.be/_s-YolAgJPM 

Sayrd teaches honors biology and earth/environmental science at Stokes Early College High. When he is not in the classroom, Sayrd is usually on campus monitoring bluebird boxes, working in the school’s garden, or obtaining resources for their next interactive lesson. “Outside of work I enjoy updating our Little Free Library, tending to the community garden, mountain biking, or spending time with my lovely wife and two wonderful dogs.”

When asked about a program experience that stood out to him Sayrd says it was a toss-up between watching the migratory snow geese and tundra swan with Melissa Dowland during the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Teacher Institute at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and electrofishing a local stream in Valle Crucis with Kevin Hining from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. “Both experiences brought on emotions of wonder and curiosity. These feelings are exactly what I strive for in the students that experience nature in and out of the classroom.”

For his community-based partnership project, Sayrd and his students reached out to the local community center and formed a partnership to create gardening experiences with disabled adults and the school's garden club. The edible items grown in the garden are then harvested to our local food bank. Sayrd says the school’s garden club project continues to be a success and offers fruits and vegetables to local food banks and they continue to use the garden as an outdoor classroom and as a study area for NC Envirothon, an annual science competition for teams of middle and high school students sponsored by the NC Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the NC Division of Soil and Water Conservation.  

Sayrd says the program changed the way he approached teaching. “I have modified the teaching methods and strategies to facilitate learning in and out of the classroom. “I have gained a better understanding of student backgrounds, expectations, and best learning methods which has created more caring and passionate learning environment.” When asked if the program affected the way he viewed environmental issues, Sayrd said, “I have a greater sense of urgency and an increased passion for helping our environment while educating others the importance of being proactive.”