Ellen Petterson receives national sustainability teaching award

Ellen Petterson, a teacher at Ray Shepherd Elementary school in Surrey, has been honored with the Susan Langley Earth Steward Teaching Award. The national recognition, presented by Learning for a Sustainable Future, celebrates her contributions to sustainability education in Canada.

For the past six years, Petterson has led her kindergarten students in daily outdoor lessons in the forest adjacent to their school. The program integrates standard curriculum subjects into a natural setting, using elements like pinecones for mathematics, leaves for art, and insect observation for science.

The initiative has also fostered community engagement, involving local seniors, retirees, and parents in the outdoor learning process.