2021 ACT Environmental Educator of the Year

Kate Rhook

Please join us in congratulations and wishing good luck to Kate Rhook, ACT's nominee as Australia's National Environmental Educator of the Year for 2021

Kate's nomination: 

How the candidate has made a significant contribution to EfS ?

Kate is a passionate educator who has worked for more than 18 years in professional roles combining her love of both freshwater, river health and catchment management, with community engagement and environmental education. Kate has worked to engage community groups , students (K-12), tertiary, and industry across the municipalities of Melbourne, Regional Victoria, South Australia and over the past five years in the ACT. During this time, she has championed awareness for the protection of local waterways, rivers and catchment health to promote community action for the sustainable use of water resources. 

 

Kate established and coordinated stormwater and catchment education programs with Waterwatch Victoria across the Yarra River, Merri Creek and Werribee catchments in 2004-2005. Working with local community groups, schools and local councils to build knowledge and community action for urban pollution impacts and facilitating river health citizen science monitoring programs, including platypus and other aquatic biota.  As Regional Waterwatch Coordinator 2006-2009 for the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority,  Kate coordinated a passionate team responsible for community engagement programs in water quality, salinity and environmental education initiatives across the Wimmera Catchment.

 

While in SA's great South East, aka the Limestone Coast, Kate led the series of Youth Environmental Action forums in 2010 and facilitated school Natural Resource Management programs, fostering knowledge, skills and environmental literacy to empower ‘youth for action’ to care and enhance the natural resources in South East of South Australia. In 2012 she helped establish ‘Youth Creating Habitat’ projects for on-ground action with local students for endangered threatened species recovery. 

 

Kate worked as a Science, Maths and Geography Classroom Teacher in South Australia and Victoria, 2013-2016. Leaving Victoria for the ACT, in 2016-2017,  Kate worked to establish the H2OK Healthy Waterways Stormwater Education program for the ACT Government.  Kate continues to share her knowledge and passion for the urban water story in her current role providing engaging tours, materials and quality education sessions to build water literacy in the community for Icon Water, ACT’s water utility.

 

Exhibited leadership or mentorship that has influenced others?

By leading teams and the community, through her coordinator roles in Waterwatch and catchment education programs, with ACT Government and Icon Water, Kate has demonstrated an ability to engage with diverse audiences, installing passion and meaningful connections to understand the value of rivers, waterways and the sustainable use of water resources. She has inspired actions to mitigate the impacts urban communities have in responsible water use, stormwater pollutants and wastewater.

 

Her EfS programs have been highly regarded by schools, community groups and participants in each program she has facilitated. An example from her evaluated program includes “We had amazing presentation with Kate today with our Year two classes, she was professional, knowledgeable, adaptable and totally engaging.  Her explanation of the water systems of the ACT.10/10 without a doubt’”.

 

Kate’s passion that students are a great natural resource, led her formally back to the classroom as a primary and secondary school teacher in 2009, in SA and Victoria 2013-2016. Kate's teaching philosophy is implemented through inquiry nature based learning and advocating sustainability cross curriculum priorities in STEM and geography subjects.  Kate has actively found opportunities at each school she has worked, to foster sustainable practices with her students, through curriculum and initiatives including Vic AuSSI sustainable schools programs and the kitchen food garden programs. 

 

Kate facilitated opportunities for students’ participation in sustainable action through Kid Teaching Kids programs.  She has mentored several students’ projects, building confidence and presentation skills, to showcase their youth action for sustainability. The Portland Secondary College team placed second in 2014.  The Bayview College students, supported in 2015, reached third in the finals at the Western Victorian ‘Kids Teaching Kids’ conference.

 

Kate established a number of environmental education networks to strategically work together on environmental projects for regional sustainability and Natural Resource Management Education. As seen in the Wimmera, chairing the South East Environmental Education Working Group and ACT Government H2OK steering committee. These helped to develop strategic partnerships and program development. She has developed curriculum-based education materials in her various roles to support local educators and contributed to AAEE OzEE news articles ‘Tap to Sea’, March 2021.  She currently supports the AAEE ACT chapter with events and executive team as secretary.  

 

Led by example and walked the sustainability talk in private life

Kate’s involvement with the AAEE ACT chapter began in 2017 as an affiliate member. In 2018 she volunteered as an Executive member and 2021 as Chapter Secretary. Kate has and is helping to develop the ACT’s Resources Directory. Kate has shown her willingness to support, encourage and engage with diverse groups, helping to develop the role of education for sustainability in program networks for schools, educators and the broader community across the ACT. AAEEACT has been able to build networking links and membership amongst ACT water educators due to Kate’s efforts. 

 

In her teaching roles, she volunteered with school sustainability projects including the kitchen garden project at Portland Secondary College and monthly weekend biodiversity surveys for significant species on the site.  Kate is currently working with the science mentors program in the ACT to provide support to student STEM projects. Mentoring students to further their skills and abilities and inspire future leaders in STEM subjects for careers in water resources.

 

She extensively volunteered in tree planting and on ground works in the Wimmera and South East, SA with Wimmera Landcare and Greening Australia. Kate has volunteered with NSW Parks in biodiversity survey projects and mentored year 11 students at the Rotary Murray Darling Fresh Water Research River Health programs.  

 

As a keen advocate for waterway health and catchment protection. Kate supported the moratorium on coal seam fracking across the South west of Victoria as a measure of protection for hydrology and wetland health of the regions fresh water aquatic environments.

 

Kate has built on her sustainable living principles, both in professional capacity and at home.  This includes keeping an organic vegetable garden, planting and maintaining gardens for bees and insect diversity. She has been a past member of the Gungahlin SEE-Change group. Since her time in Canberra Kate has also been a volunteer with ACT Waterwatch in Yerrabi and Cotter Rivers. 

 

Outline the connections of the applicants work to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Throughout the past eighteen years Kate has worked on sustainable and environmental education projects in a professional capacity and as a volunteer, actively contributing to a number of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Her works connection and focus on SDG target of Sustainable Management and use of Natural Resources. 

Kate has actively engaged youth and community participation in on-ground action projects through the experience of citizen science for water quality, salinity and aquatic monitoring (macroinvertebrates, native fish, platypus and frogs) projects.  Showcased though her expertise and passionate facilitation of programs to schools, community events; in the field, at a river, wetland, painting a stormwater drain or on top of a Dam Wall.  Building community water literacy and actions for catchment and river health.  This highlights actions to the SDG 6- Clean Water and Sanitation with emphasis on SDG 14 Life Below Water.  

 

In her current role, Kate contributes to SDG 12 with responsible consumption and production of drinking water supply and sustainable wastewater practices. Her highly regarded water education programs encourages behaviour change by highlighting the impacts our behaviours can have on these services and to build fundamental water literacy in our community relating to drinking water supply, stormwater and wastewater education for clean water and sanitation. 

 

In her teaching career Kate’s philosophy and pedagogy adheres that the greatest task for society is to equip children with the attitudes, values, knowledge and skills necessary to rethink and change current patterns of action and to secure healthy, just and sustainable futures for all.  Kate has actively engaged over 64,759 participants in EfS activities through environmental education sessions, field trips and forums, water monitoring and sustainable action.  Leaving participants with skills and knowledge needed to implement positive changes to create a more sustainable and resilient society.