PCSWCD honors Titcomb for environmental emphasis

Outstanding Conservation Educator instills healthy respect for environment in students

GUILFORD — It’s a big job, teaching today’s youth about the environment. In Piscataquis County, several organizations and educators are dedicated to teaching students about nature, their natural surroundings and the deep-rooted value of natural resources in the area.

Contributed photo

TREE LESSON — Rochelle Titcomb teaches Piscataquis Community Elementary School sixth-graders about native trees at the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Demonstration Forest in Williamsburg.

Each year, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District’s (PCSWCD) Board nominates an educator from our county to receive the Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year Award, and this year they have chosen to honor Rochelle Titcomb of Piscataquis Community Elementary School (PCES).

Titcomb is a sixth-grade teacher at PCES and has spent 30 years of her 33-year teaching career there. She was born and raised in the Guilford area, and from a young age she developed a love and appreciation for the outdoors. Over her career, Titcomb has made an effort to connect her students to the local ecology by integrating natural resource conservation education into her curriculum. By doing so, she has been able to teach them to have a healthy respect for their environment.

“I hope to teach my students to be good stewards of our land and water resources. We all have to do our part to keep our natural world protected for future generations,” explained Titcomb during an interview with PCSWCD’s educational coordinator, Kacey Weber.

Since 2003, Titcomb and the team of sixth-grade teachers at PCES have been working closely with the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District to expose students to hands-on natural resource conservation curricula.

Each year, Rochelle coordinates with district staff to bring her students to the PCSWCD’s Demonstration Forest in Williamsburg for a day of hands-on, experiential learning. During this event, students travel through the forest to four stations, where they engage with professionals to learn about soils, forestry, native trees and wildlife.

Over the past several years, Titcomb has spearheaded the Tree and Leaf ID station at this event, and loves the opportunity to teach the students about what’s found and utilized in Maine’s forests.

This past spring, the PCES grade 6 teachers connected with the district again to bring a watershed program into the school.

“They have been taking students to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland, Maine, since 1996 and over the past few years, the focus of the field trip has been watersheds,” said Titcomb. “When the sixth-grade teachers found this out, we decided to connect with the PCSWCD to present some background information about watersheds in preparation for our trip to GMRI.

“The students thoroughly enjoyed the program we collaboratively put together. Anytime we can engage the students actively, I’m in favor,” she added.

Titcomb has successfully utilized local resources, participated in trainings to further her knowledge of resource concerns and spent a great deal of effort to prioritize conservation education in her curriculum. Her enthusiasm for connecting students to this valuable information and dedication to educating them about the importance of the natural world make her the perfect candidate to receive the 2016 Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year Award.

The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District will present Titcomb with this award at a Piscataquis Community Elementary School assembly on Sept. 16th at 7:45 a.m. Anyone wishing to attend should contact the school.