Columbia, SC—Karyn Taylor, a third grade teacher at Pontiac Elementary School, has been named Richland County’s Conservation Teacher of the Year by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).  This annual award recognizes Richland County educators who have exhibited an exceptional commitment to conservation education.  Taylor was nominated by Pontiac Elementary Principal Dr. Katie Wall Barber. 

“Pontiac has a very strong conservation presence as a result of the efforts of Karyn Taylor,” says Dr. Barber.  Among the many environmental initiatives Taylor spearheads at Pontiac are school-wide recycling efforts, composting, water conservation, school gardens, classroom air quality improvements, and litter clean-ups.  She has provided leadership for the school’s Green Steps Team for three years and coordinates a weekly student Environmental Club.  Her efforts have secured more than $1,300 in grant funding for conservation projects at Pontiac Elementary, and she works regularly with community organizations and informal educators to enrich her students’ environmental experiences. 

Kindergarten Teacher Lisa Collins, Taylor’s colleague and a fellow Green Team member, has been impacted by Taylor’s example and leadership.  “Karyn Taylor cares deeply about the environment and is a doer,” Collins explains.  “She inspires other to care and do as well [through] her quiet, unassuming, graceful example.”

Taylor will be recognized at the Richland SWCD’s annual banquet on May 12^th.  For more information about Conservation Educator Awards and other programs of the Richland SWCD, visit www.rcgov.us/rswcd or contact Chanda Cooper at (803) 576-2084.

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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 use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.

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