Middle school teacher honored for conservation education

Kristin Ziegler, lead teacher for the School of Zoological and Botanical Studies at Longleaf Middle School, has been named the 2016 S.C. Conservation Teacher of the Year for Secondary Education by the S.C. Association of Conservation Districts.

Previously, Ziegler was named Richland County Conservation Teacher of the Year by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District.

The award is presented annually to a teacher who has exhibited an outstanding commitment to conservation education.

Ziegler has taught secondary science for more than 12 years, and she has been in her current position for more than five years. As head of the environmental education program, Ziegler uses a combination of classroom activities, field studies, and projects to help her students develop respect for the environment as well as the critical thinking and analytical skills that inform decision-making.

Ziegler has also been named Teacher of the Year at Longleaf Middle School, has received a Champions of the

Environment Grant from S.C. DHEC and an education mini-grant from the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District.

Ziegler will be recognized for her achievements at the an awards luncheon in Columbia on Tuesday, February 21.

Nominations for 2016-2017 Conservation Education Awards will be accepted until April 10, 2017. Guidelines and nomination details are available at www.rcgov.us/rswcd.

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Middle school teacher honored for conservation education."