"I have found, after a good deal of consideration, that the best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for Him there." -George Bernard Shaw
Personal and Professional Background
As a Master Gardener through the Penn State Extension office in Butler, I've been involved with Butler Catholic School for the past two years helping to run the after school Garden Club. The garden here is such an amazing place, so much so that we really wanted to get every student involved. So here I am, running a pilot Pre-K through grade 8 program to get every student in our school involved in our garden and engaged in all the lessons that can be found there!
I have an education background in kindergarten through grade 12. I was formerly the head of Social Studies for Baltimore City Public Schools, which is also where I did the majority of my teaching. I moved back to the area and held the same position for Pittsburgh Public Schools before leaving there and working remotely with the Park for Every Classroom program through the National Park Service. I've been a certified Master Gardener for a few years and I'm in class working on my Master Birder certification now with the Audubon Society of Western PA.
I live on a farm in Chicora with my husband Brian and a gaggle of silly animals.
What do you feel makes Butler Catholic special?
What I think makes BCS special is OF COURSE the garden! Learning with children in a place and in a space where they can be totally involved in the process from beginning to end (like eating the vegetables they help to grow!) is one of the greatest feelings in the world.