Educator Spotlight: Andi Webb

Andi Webb, a teacher, and instructional coach at Forest Hills Global Elementary School in New Hanover County has earned her NC Environmental Education Certification. 

Andi says she is passionate about international education and sustainability. Her favorite part of earning her Environmental Education Certification was the in- person workshops at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. “I always felt very welcomed, and they were fun opportunities with activities that would easily translate into working with children.”

Andi says the sea turtle workshop at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher was an experience that really stood out for her. She also partnered with the aquarium for her community partnership program which is required for certification. “I worked with them to review their online modules they created in response to the pandemic. They wanted feedback and suggestions. The modules were already very good, but I believe having a practicing educator's perspective helped them solidify the modules and make a few updates that may be beneficial to other educators.”

When asked how the program changed her approach to teaching, Webb says it strengthened her approach. “I already knew how valuable it is to get children outside, but this program truly helped reinforce it. It also reminded me how much I enjoy being outside.”

Andi says she can see multiple perspectives when she thinks about environmental issues. “We can be quick to condemn people, but we may not always understand the rationale for the actions of others. However, we need to try and work together to improve sustainability in North Carolina, around our country, and throughout the world. Sometimes this means inconveniencing ourselves and advocating that businesses we work with improve their sustainability practices.”

Andi is a National Board-Certified Teacher who has a Master of Education degree with a K-8 science focus from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from East Carolina University. She has received numerous awards including the 2012 North Carolina Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year, a Career Award for Science and Mathematics Teachers through Burroughs Welcome Fund and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She is a recipient of a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program in Singapore and of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. 

Rhonda Horne, A School Counselor at Lumberton High School in Robeson County Completes Her NC Environmental Education Certification

Rhonda Horne, Katie Fountain, Gail McLean

Rhonda Horne, a school counselor at Lumberton High School in Robeson County recently completed her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification. Rhonda’s school is one of two high schools in the county, and in addition to being the school's counselor, she serves as the school's registrar, 504 Coordinator, and alternative program liaison. In her personal time, she enjoys organic gardening, bird watching, camping, hiking, and traveling to state parks and national parks. “I enjoy anything that takes me close to nature whether it be the mountains, seashore, or prairie. I have visited all North Carolina State Parks and Recreation areas.” 

Rhonda says she enjoyed all parts of the program but especially liked the site visits. “As part of the NC State Park Passport Program, I visited all the state parks and recreation areas in three years. I started with the mountain region, then the coast and finally the piedmont. Each area was abundant with its own flora, fauna, wildlife, and regional history. During those visits I explored museums, battlegrounds, and botanical gardens in each area. I learned a lot about North Carolina, its history, people, and wildlife.” 

To complete her teaching requirement, Rhonda volunteered at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island. “Teaching at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island last summer was the experience of a lifetime. I spent a week volunteering and working in a variety of workstations and departments. Each day I had a different assignment working with a variety of animals. It was a big learning curve for me because I had to learn about the animals while teaching children and adult visitors. One day I would work with turtles and the next day, sharks.”

For her community partnership project, Rhonda partnered with the Public Library of Robeson County, The North Carolina Arboretum, and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Whiteville to install a pollinator garden and wildlife viewing station as part of The North Carolina Arboretum’s K-8 grade citizen science project, ecoEXPLORE. The main library in Lumberton shares a beautiful garden with the City of Lumberton and Rhonda worked with a volunteer master gardener Gail McLean, and the director of the library, Katie Fountain, to make the project a reality. “I wanted to do something new in my community that would be far-reaching and accessible to all youth in Robeson County. There are many children that rarely leave the county and now they can become a part of citizen science while discovering and learning about nature and wildlife.” 

Rhonda says after participating in the program, she has a more positive and optimistic outlook on the impact educators, programs, and agencies are having on the public’s awareness of environmental issues and concerns. “I think such programs as the ecoEXPLORE program and the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification are grassroots approaches that aim to educate and teach environmental awareness in a manner that leads an individual and groups to think for themselves and formulate their own opinions about how they as individuals can impact changes in small or large ways, working individually or within their own community.”