Meet Our Teacher Advisory Committee

Mr. Conrad Benedicto
Wilderness Arts Literacy Collaborative, California

Conrad Benedicto is the Executive Director for Wilderness Arts Literacy Collaborative, an environmental education program integrated into two San Francisco high schools. Mr. Benedicto sees 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
AP Environmental Science and Mentorship Program
School of Environmental Studies at the Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota

Steve Hage teaches AP Environmental Science as part of an environmental studies interdisciplinary team  at the School of Environmental Studies at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Steve also teaches a Mentorship Program relating to career internships and leads field study trips to various countries. Prior to working at the School of Environmental Studies, Mr. Hage was the Curator of Education at the Minnesota Zoo where he incorporated a wealth of environmental knowledge and conservation education into his work.

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

Jenelle Hopkins, a National Board Certified Teacher, teaches in the suburbs of Las Vegas, 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 the fragility of desert habitat, the seasonal changes that the desert undergoes, and the environmental issues of water supply and air pollution that impacts the community.

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

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, Washington, D.C.

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.