Columbia, SC—Richland County nominee Melinda Beach has been named South Carolina’s 2013 Primary (K-6^th Grade) Teacher of the Year by the South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts (SCACD).  Beach, who was a science instructor for St. John Neumann Catholic School in Northeast Columbia for six years, was recognized as Richland County’s 2013 Conservation Teacher of the Year by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District last spring.    

The County and State awards both acknowledged her outstanding commitment to conservation education.  At St. John Neumann, Beach implemented several campus environmental projects, including a school garden, wildlife habitat, composting, waste reduction, and recycling.  She also pursued opportunities to increase her own knowledge of conservation and environmental education and was dedicated to providing these opportunities to other teachers. 

Beach transferred to Anderson County School District Four last August and now teaches at Mount Lebanon Elementary School in Pendleton, SC.  She continues to provide conservation education to third grade students and is sharing her knowledge and dedication to the environment with a new school community.  

The SCACD, an association of SC’s Conservation Districts and their commissioners, will recognize Beach at an Awards Luncheon in Columbia on February 25, 2014. 

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Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners. In South Carolina, Conservation District boundaries conform to County boundaries.  The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise planning and use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.

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