Educator Spotlight: Sarah Goldsmith

Sarah Goldsmith, environmental educator for Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. Sarah teaches more than 3,000 participants a year and works with many different types of organizations and groups. “I work with a variety of groups such as homeschool, bilingual, senior care, government, and students on field trips, and more. I focus heavily on inclusive programming with a love for increasing accessibility to outdoor learning.”

When asked about her favorite part of the program, Sarah said it was the opportunity to network. “I enjoyed the networking. I was able to meet amazing people, found a part-time job and expanded my knowledge of the state we are in.” She also said that the instructional workshops were particularly helpful. “The depth we went into during the instructional workshops were helpful for answering some of the random, out of left field questions kids love to ask.” 

For her community partnership program, Sarah worked with several partners including Activate Good and Kids Marble Museum to provide a service-learning project focused on native pollinator plants. The event was held at Marbles Kids Museum. The participants learned about the importance of native flowers for pollinators, and they created hundreds of native wildflower seed bombs that were dispersed at different parks in Wake County. 

Sarah says the program changed the way she approaches education. “It opened my eyes to the “Universal Design in Learning” way of creating programs to help streamline how I can create inclusive programming. I appreciated the details that went into that course.”

As far as how see views environmental issues, Sarah said the program provided a lot of content that she could use when teaching. “I have a wider understanding of the endangered species of our area, as well as the river basins, which is something I never found interesting until I took a workshop about it and gained a new appreciation for the topics.”

Educator Spotlight: Katherine Wombwell

Katherine Wombwell, a student at Montreat College, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. Katherine will graduate this spring and would like to work in the outdoor education field. “I enjoy working with a variety of age groups and I hope to work at a site that encourages direct engagement with non-captive audiences. During my time studying environmental education, I have enjoyed leading nature walks and providing scientific and historic information about sites for my participants. In my free time, I really enjoy hiking and backpacking with my friends.”

Katherine says her favorite part of certification was the site visits. “I really enjoyed going to the different sites. I feel like my experience was unique because I went to most of the sites with my friends, which was so fun.” She also enjoyed the instructional workshops especially when they provided a curriculum guide.

For her community partnership project, she created a freshman-college experience, the Montreat Outdoor Recreation Studies COMPASS Program that is designed to introduce students to the outdoor education field. Katherine says she chose to work with college students because of the opportunities they have to work directly with their communities. “This past summer, we introduced students to rangers, nature guides, and what it looks like to study the outdoors. As a result of the program, we saw a tremendous increase in students' appreciation for nature and interest in outdoor education.”

As part of the five-day college immersion students were able to travel throughout North Carolina and the eastern part of Tennessee while being introduced to the fields of adventure recreation, outdoor ministry, conservation law enforcement, and environmental education. “The students were able to engage with one another in new, unique, and novel experiences that created a strong sense of community within the group. On a broader level, students engaged with the larger North Carolina community by learning from outdoor recreation professionals, visiting museums, and attending tours in various locations across WNC.”

Katherine says the certification program helped her become a teacher. “I started this program when I was learning to be an educator, so it established a foundation for who I am.” She says the program also changed the way she thinks about environmental issues. “I think that the idea that we teach students how to think, not what to think, is what has stood out to me the most. It is a concept that I think about regularly and really value in my own teaching methodology.”

Educator Spotlight: Brittany Fairfax

Brittany Fairfax, a fourth-grade teacher at Acme Delco Elementary School in Columbus County recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. Brittany strives to integrate environmental education into her classroom every day and encourages other teachers to do the same. “When I’m not teaching, I enjoy nature walks and visiting parks to photograph and classify plants. I love experiencing nature and learning how it is connected, and I am always engaging my students with that same passion so that they become more environmentally literate adults.”

Brittany says her favorite part of earning her certification was participating in the Schools in Parks Collaborative, a partnership between NC State Parks in the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the UNC Institute for the Environment. She also enjoyed the Sustainable Forestry Teachers Experience which is provided by the NC Forestry Association.

When asked which certification experience stood out for her, Brittany says it was learning about the longleaf pine. “I loved each class and experience, but I would have to say learning about the longleaf pine ecosystem from seed to mesh pulp really stands out as something that connects with my daily world. This experience came from my time in the Sustainable Forestry Teachers Institute. I had the privilege of joining the institute in my hometown area and learned so much about the tree mills that are literally a mile from my school. I got to see every aspect of what they do with trees and how they are practicing sustainability.”

For her community partnership project, she built an outdoor classroom for her school. “My students along with members of the community worked together to plant trees and build outdoor plant structures. We completed an outdoor classroom shelter so that any class can take their learning outside. Since then, an environmental class has been added to the school that regularly cleans up the schoolyard and manages the greenspace. The students learned to value their hard work and how to care for a garden.”

Brittany says the program changed her approach to teaching others. “Before the certification program, I did not teach professional development or have the knowledge base and passion to help others in science-based curriculum. Since then, I feel confident and look for an opportunity to teach other professionals. I use my Project Wild and other curriculum guides to provide engaging science lessons that teachers can use inside and outside the classroom. I strive to get my students outside to learn ask questions about what they see when outside. I provide regular lessons from all my curriculum books and my students love being able to simulate the content we are learning. I also take all the pictures and knowledge I gain while at state parks and science museums and make slideshows for my students to view which really gets the excited about having their family then go visit these places.”

Brittany believes that becoming an environmentally conscious person starts when people are young. “It is our job as adults to provide children with the love and compassion for the environment and the living creatures within it. Because if they don't learn to love the planet as a child what is going to make them love it in this fast-paced world of adulthood. As adults we need to find ways to live and work sustainably to protect the environment.”

Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School Named Top Magnet School of Excellence

Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina has been named a 2025 Top Magnet School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America (MSA).

This is not the first time the school has been recognized for its magnet program. On Earth Day 2024, Lincoln Heights was selected to host the kick-off event for North Carolina's revised State K-12 Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP). Lincoln Heights was chosen for the release because the original Environmental Literacy Plan was used to develop the school's “environmental connections” magnet theme and curriculum. 

Lincoln Heights has truly embraced the ELP and “environmental connections” magnet theme by providing all students with hands-on learning and by nurturing students’ strengths and interests through real-world connections with professionals and the community. The impact on the school has been significant. Its overall school performance score rose from a "D" in 2017 to a "B" score in 2024. Science scores rose from 57 percent in 2022 to 82 percent in 2024, and the school saw notable increases in reading and math scores as well. 

"Lincoln Heights made the vision of the Environmental Literacy Plan a reality, and the Magnet Schools of America recognition strengthens its role as a model for schools across the state and nation," notes Lisa Tolley, Environmental Education Program Manager for the North Carolina Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. "It’s so exciting to see the plan come to life in the classroom, the community and on the school grounds. The students here are making observations, conducting investigations and developing important critical thinking skills needed to solve the the environmental challenges facing our state.

The first K-12 environmental literacy plan was released in 2010 at Wiley Elementary in Raleigh with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Governor Josh Stein--then a state senator--among those in attendance. Since then, the ELP has provided guidance to schools and nonformal educators for increasing environmental literacy and preparing students for environmental and STEM careers. The Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs, a part of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, developed the original and revised ELP in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the nonprofit Environmental Educators of North Carolina, based on feedback and input from teachers, agencies, organizations, universities and colleges, nonformal educators and program partners from across the state. 

While the ELP provides important guidance, the success of the school depends on the dedication of parents, teachers, administration and staff. Laura Wood, the school’s environmental connections integration specialist and Annette Steele, the Academically Gifted and Talented teacher, are both North Carolina Certified Environmental Educators through the Department of Environmental Quality. These teachers have nurtured important relationships with state agencies, professionals in STEM fields, and environmental educators, which demonstrates how important professional development is for academic success and innovative teaching strategies. In 2024, Wood shared the story of Lincoln Heights in this Earth Day Lunchtime Discovery Livestream Show. 

Lincoln Heights will formally receive their National Magnet School of Excellence Merit Award during a ceremony held during the Magnet Schools of America’s National Conference on April 7-10, 2025, in Nashville. Magnet School of Excellence Awards are only given to a select group of magnet schools. To learn more about the national merit awards program, please visit magnet.edu.

The North Carolina Environmental Literacy Plan and supporting implementation guides can be found at www.eenorthcarolina.org/resources/k-12-environmental-literacy. This guiding document can be used by public, charter, and private schools, as well as homeschools and other programs and groups that provide k-12 education in North Carolina. 

Lincoln Heights Magnet Elementary School is a North Carolina Public School in the Wake County Public School System. Learn more about their environmental connections programs and curriculum on their website.