Meet Our Teacher Advisory Committee

Mr. Conrad Benedicto
Social Studies
Wilderness Arts Literacy Collaborative

Conrad Benedicto is the Executive Director for Wilderness Arts Literacy Collaborative, an environmental education program integrated into two San Francisco high schools. Mr. Benedicto, along with other teachers in the Collaborative, use nature as a unifying theme for all academic areas from English to technology. As a teacher of 14 years, he has been honored at San Francisco’s Crissy Field Environmental Center as a Community Environmental Hero.

Mr. Steve Hage
Instructor
School of Environmental Studies at the Minnesota Zoo

Steve Hage serves as an instructor at the School of Environmental Studies at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The SES at the Minnesota Zoo allows students to delve into the field of environmental science while working alongside professionals in the field. Prior to working at the School of Environmental studies, Mr. Hage was an employee of the Minnesota Zoo where he incorporated a wealth of environmental knowledge into his work.

Ms. Jenelle D. Hopkins
Earth and Environmental Science Teacher
Centennial High School

Jenelle Hopkins, a National Board Certified Teacher, teaches in the suburbs of Las Vegas, in a community that is experiencing a great deal of growth. In her classes, she works to show students that the desert is an ecosystem, not something to pave over. She utilizes the ‘vacant’ lot across the street from her High School to help students understand not only the fragility of desert habitat as well as the seasonal changes that the desert undergoes.

Ms. Doreen Petri
AP Environmental Science, Global Biology, Anatomy and Physiology Teacher
Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy

Doreen has been teaching AP Environmental Science for six years. In 2007 she, an engineer, and her AP Environmental Science students conducted an energy audit of their school. They focused on using more natural light to save energy. Desk lamps were donated to the school so teachers could turn off lights during their planning period, and they replaced incandescent lights in Exit signs with LEDs. The students reported to the larger school community that they saved the school an estimated $10,000 in energy costs.

Ms. Paula Wang
AP Environmental Science Teacher
Sidwell Friends School

Paula Wang, an AP Environmental Science teacher of fifteen years, understands the importance of teaching environmental science in the outdoors. Her classroom is partnered with the Rock Creek National Park and her local chapter of the Audubon Naturalist Society, which work collaboratively to monitor Rock Creek for the local government. Her students’ experiences leave them with a lasting knowledge and continuing interest in environmental science.