PCSWCD honors Willcott with Outstanding Conservation Educator Award

Willcott

  DOVER-FOXCROFT — Each year, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) honors an educator working in Piscataquis County with the Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year Award. This year, the board of directors has selected Julie Willcott, high school teacher at Foxcroft Academy, to receive the 2015 honor.

After earning a degree in Plant and Soil Science from UMass-Amherst, Willcott began her teaching career at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture in Massachusetts. From there, she spent 10 years teaching at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, followed by 10 years at Foxcroft Academy. She taught core science courses – biology, chemistry and physics – throughout her career. Over the past few years, Willcott started two elective courses at Foxcroft Academy, Greenhouse Management and Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture.

Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture provided a dynamic opportunity for students to gain direct, hands-on experiences working in and learning about agriculture. The course provided dual enrollment at Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC), which earned students college credit at the conclusion of the semester course. This course and Greenhouse Management, which was co-taught with Jack McLeod, offered a wide variety of learning experiences for students as they toured and visited local agricultural enterprises, designed and managed an on-site greenhouse and learned about practical plant biology, chemistry and real-world applications to science normally taught in a classroom setting.

While visiting Spruce Mill Farm in Dover-Foxcroft with her students, Willcott mentioned “how exciting it was to witness the kids connecting with their community through local agriculture. It was encouraging for them to see young people like themselves producing food and being successful.”

Sustainable agriculture practices are such an essential part to protecting and conserving our natural resources. The effort that Willcott poured into her courses directly resulted in more area youth learning about the importance of conservation. In she said that “Foxcroft Academy always graduates a number of students who express interest in exploring natural resource professions. It’s great to provide those kids with these courses, so they can broaden their knowledge base, deepen their understanding and strengthen their connection to our community. A major part of keeping kids here in Piscataquis County is showing them these opportunities in natural resource conservation professions, such as careers in sustainable agriculture, and therefore developing an appreciation for the importance of our natural resources.”

District staff and board members were fortunate to work with Willcott, McLeod and their Greenhouse Management students on May 29, as they helped plant close to 600 hardwood trees at the Law Farm property. Willcott’s enthusiasm for the project and getting the students involved was incredible. “I’m most excited to see the future of the tree planting project” said Willcott. “I enjoyed working with the district and see many opportunities for getting area youth involved in future projects at the Law Farm.”

Willcott retired from Foxcroft Academy at the end of the 2014-15 school year. Her plans for the coming year include teaching an Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems course to students enrolled in the Culinary Arts department at KVCC. Additionally, Willcott has accepted a professional development specialist position for Apple Professional Development. In this position, she will travel around the U.S. and work with educators on foundation training and incorporating Apple products into their classroom curriculums.

The staff and board at the PCSWCD are so pleased to award Willcott with the 2015 Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year Award. The PCSWCD has planned an awards ceremony and dinner to honor her at Stutzman’s Farm Café in Sangerville on Sunday, Aug.  9 from 5-7 p.m. Please RSVP by Friday, July 31 by emailing the district a info@piscataquisswcd.org or by calling 564-2321 ext. 3.