Published May 6, 2025
Meet the 2024 – 2025 OUTstanding Teacher Award winners
Five Rivers MetroParks has recognized four local teachers with 2024 OUTstanding Teacher Awards. These annual awards – which began in 2014 – are presented to local educators who use the natural world as a classroom and incorporate nature-based opportunities into their curriculum.
“Nature is so foundational to many of the disciplines that are taught in school, from science to art,” said MetroParks Outdoor Education Coordinator Pam Lyons Gromen. “The teachers who are making it a priority for kids to experience nature today are ensuring both their students and the environment have a better future.”
The OUTstanding Teachers for the 2024-2025 School Year are:
Dan Palmer – John F. Kennedy Elementary, Kettering City Schools (Lifetime Achievement – more than 20 years of teaching experience)
The classroom is not limited to the indoors for third-grade teacher Dan Palmer. Students particularly enjoyed a trout-raising project orchestrated by Palmer, during which he raised trout from eggs in his classroom. This lesson in biology was a hands-on opportunity for children to learn about the lifecycle of fish, and they were able to embark on a field trip to release the trout into a local stream.
Palmer also regularly organizes opportunities for his students to connect with nature through hikes, field trips and lessons about national parks.
Patricia Lewis – Roosevelt Elementary, Dayton Public Schools (Leader – 10 to 20 years of teaching experience)
A second-grade teacher with 11 years of experience, Lewis fosters an appreciation and respect for nature in her classroom. She takes her students outside as much as possible to explore a variety of topics, from science to gardening. In fact, Lewis was instrumental in beginning a small community garden in which students grow fruits and vegetables to use in the classroom and donate to families at the school.
Understanding her students are not present for much of the summer growing season, Lewis set up an indoor garden using hydroponic systems and a greenhouse. Her students have earned science fair accolades for their work.
Shari Little – Fairborn Digital Academy (Rising Star – Less than 10 years teaching experience)
Shari Little is an art teacher, gardener and Pride leader who integrates nature into her students’ educational experiences. While Fairborn Digital Academy’s core curriculum is online, students are welcomed to the campus for additional support and engagement. One of the ways Little encourages students to be on-site is through a gardening class during which she helps students get hands-on learning opportunities and build life skills.
Little’s passion for the outdoors is also evident through her artwork, which captures the beauty of nature and enriches the school’s learning environment.
René Hick – Learning Tree Farm Nature Preschool (Early Childhood Education – Three years teaching experience)
René Hick is the first-ever recipient of the OUTstanding Teacher Award in the Early Childhood Education category, which was added by Five Rivers MetroParks in 2024. Hick, who has worked in nature-based early childhood education for nearly eight years, is currently a director and lead teacher at Learning Tree Farm.
All of Hick’s work with children is rooted in nature, from engaging students in environmentally friendly practice to finding teachable moments while on a nature walk. Beyond the classroom, Hick supports her staff and other preschools by finding opportunities to experience nature year-round.
Winning teachers received an awards package containing:
- Educational materials to assist in connecting students to nature
- Items to enhance the school’s outdoor learning space
- EECO (Environmental Education Council of Ohio) membership and money to use toward the 101 Conference at Camp Kern, held annually the first weekend of October
- A one-year membership to the James M. Cox, Jr. Arboretum Foundation and transportation for their class for a field trip to Cox Arboretum MetroPark (or an alternative experience if an in-person field trip is not an option)
The OUTstanding Teacher Awards are funded through the James M. Cox, Jr. Arboretum Foundation and judged by community volunteers with a background in outdoor education.
