Prairie Elementary Teacher Recognized for Environmental Stewardship

Laura Moore Award
Shawnee Mission School District

Laura Moore, sixth grade teacher at Prairie Elementary, has been recognized with the regional Teaching Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) by the Kansas City Environmental Education Network (KCEEN) convened by Mid-America Regional Council (MARC).

Moore was nominated by colleague Lindsey Constance. The TESA is given annually by KCEEN to recognize outstanding efforts in environmental education by a teacher in the Greater Kansas City region.

Moore was recognized at the annual MARC Solid Waste Management District meeting. She received a plaque and in addition, KCEEN’s will help Moore implement her next environmental education project with her students.

Some of the environmental projects Moore has helped to implement include her creation of the Read and Ride program. This program allows students to stay active on recumbent bikes as they read in the library.

Another project focused on her students’ desire to reduce plastic waste through educating fellow students and raising money to purchase water filling stations for the school.

During the last school year, Moore worked with her students to create public service announcements to help improve residential recycling in Prairie Village. Both the city and Johnson County used the videos on social media to improve residential recycling.

“Laura’s passion for environmental stewardship is evident in the engaging learning experiences she creates for her students,” Constance said.

Moore serves on the SMSD Science Cadre where she informs science and environmental instruction district wide. Teachers often observe her in action to improve their own practices, and her project-based learning approach is now used as an example for teachers throughout the school district.

The purpose of the Kansas City Environmental Education Network is to improve environmental education for pre-k-12 students in the Kansas City region by providing professional development opportunities to teachers and non-formal educators.

MARC is a nonprofit association of city and county governments and the metropolitan planning organization for the bistate Kansas City region.