Bri Becerra

Editor-in-Chief

During the weekend of Jan. 31 through Feb. 1, 12 Wooster students traveled to Mohican State Park for the Winter Snow Conference. Hosted by the Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO), the weekend conference provided educators, students and those who are passionate about environmental education a chance to connect and build community.

Stuart Franklin ’26, an elementary education and religious studies double major, organized a group of Wooster students to attend the conference with him. He attended last year with professor Ryan Ozar’s Environmental Education elective course and wanted to share the experience with more of his peers. 

“I think that EECO’s mission of promoting environmental engagement and literacy through informal and formal environmental education experiences is invaluable work,” Franklin said. “It’s hard to imagine a sustainable future when the next generation lacks knowledge and care for the planet.”

The conference provided attendees with a variety of workshops to choose from. Sessions included “Teaching STEM through Survival Skills,” “Environmental Entrepreneurship” and “Encouraging Scientific Inquiry.” Attendees had the opportunity to attend four sessions throughout the weekend.

The weekend had more events than just workshops, including a morning hike beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and a keynote speaker in the afternoon. This year’s address, titled “Birds, Binoculars, and Beyond: A Journey Through Ohio’s Lake Erie Birding Trail,” was presented by keynote speaker Jamey Emmert, an employee of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. 

Naomi Kaczor ’27, a Spanish and psychology double major with an education minor, also attended the EECO conference. She was inspired to attend because of her combined interests in environmentalism and education. Kaczor expressed that the interactive workshops were a highlight of the weekend:

“We explored the impacts of mining using cookies and did a visual interactive demonstration of river pollution,” Kaczor said. “It was really cool to see how simple, fun and interactive classroom activities can be used to help students, even at younger ages, understand the deeper complexities of human interaction with the environment.”

Franklin commented on the conference as being a positive experience and shared that his favorite part was interacting with professionals in environmental education. Because he is pursuing education as a career, he was happy to make connections within the field.

“I knew I had found my people when I watched our keynote speaker tear up when discussing the extinct passenger pigeon,” Franklin said.

Outside of the Winter Snow Conference, EECO hosts other events throughout the year to offer professional development opportunities to interested educators. They hold fall, winter and spring conferences and connect educators with volunteers who speak about their environmental careers in their classrooms.

Kaczor and Franklin agree on the importance of environmental education, arguing that it should have a larger role in curricula and the classroom environment.

“It is so important for students to learn about and connect with the environment, but these themes are often overlooked in K-12 education,” Kaczor said. “It was inspiring to see so many other people at the conference who care deeply [about the environment] and believe in the importance of this work, and it gave me a glimmer of hope for the future.”

Franklin echoes Kaczor’s support of environmental education, hoping for it to play a significant role in his future classroom.

“When I reach my career goal of becoming an elementary school teacher, I intend to do my part by integrating environmental education into my pedagogy and curriculum wherever possible,” Franklin said.

After a weekend spent in Mohican State Park discussing environmental education, the Wooster students returned to campus with new ideas and insights for their future classrooms and careers. The next EECO event is the Student Wildlife Research Symposium at Mohican State Park on April 3, where students will have an opportunity to share their environmental research.