The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced its 2021 President’s Student and Teacher Environmental Awards winners. Jason Vanzant, a teacher at Bogue Sound Elementary School in Newport, was one of two North Carolina teachers awarded the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) for Region 4.
In a virtual ceremony, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory recognized the awardees. “This past school year has been one of the most challenging for our nation, yet students and teachers across the country remained dedicated to tackling the most pressing environmental challenges we face – from climate change to environmental justice,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I’m so proud of the remarkable youth and educators we’re honoring today, and their work to make a difference in their communities. By working hand in hand, we can create a more sustainable, more equitable world.”
Jason Vanzant, also known by his students as “Mr. Vantaztic” is an elementary STEM teacher and Instructional Technology Facilitator at Bogue Sound Elementary in Carteret County. "Through his passion for the environment, Mr. Vanzant sparks student wonder, learning, and achievement! As a result of his interdisciplinary, hands-on, research- and place-based approaches to environmental education, the school district has seen dramatic shifts in academic achievement and interest in STEM classes and activities."
Vanzant is a Certified North Carolina Environmental Educator through the state program administered by the NC Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs and has been widely recognized for his efforts to create a STEM lab at his school.
He has also developed strong partnerships in the community to support STEM learning at Bogue Sound Elementary. The EPA News Release notes that Vanzant's "efforts have helped Bogue Sounds Elementary School be designated as a NOAA Ocean Guardian School, the only school in its county designated as such. With NOAA approval and funding, Mr. Vanzant led his students to composting and debris collection projects at the school. His students presented their findings and ways to improve future efforts to the Board of Education. Mr. Vanzant regularly invites scientific professionals to share their research and passion with his students, piquing the students’ interest to consider for their own careers in the future. Mr. Vanzant has developed close ties with local environmental organizations that have afforded the students amazing opportunities at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, the Cape Lookout National Seashore Park, NOAA, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the Pine Knolls Shore Aquarium, and the North Carolina Coastal Reserve. He has also fostered a partnership with the Aquaculture Department at the Carteret Community College."
Read the full EPA News Release
Read more about Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) 2021 Winners
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