Beatrice High School named ‘Educator of the Year'

In addition to completing the greenhouse, Beatrice High School was recently named “Educator of the Year” by the Nebraska State Recycling Agency for a worm vermicomposting project that is part of the greenhouse grant.

The project is a joint venture by the science club and the special education department.

“The premise of the project is to provide hands on science education for special needs students,” said Joan Christen, BHS science instructor.

For the project, students in BHS special education teacher Dennis Dodge's class each have their own “worm ranch” which consists of a Rubbermaid tub specially designed with ventilation tubes and air vents. The students have shredded newspapers, added soil and will add a pound of redworms plus food scraps from the kitchen to begin a vermicomposting unit when the worms arrive shortly, Christen said.

The worms will turn the waste paper and food scraps into compost over a period of about three months. Plans are underway to provide an area for the students to use their compost in growing perennials in the arboretum, she said.

The award was presented on Nov. 17.