WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) today congratulated Camden Hills Regional High School teacher, Mary “Margo” Marguerite Murphy, on being named one of the winners of the of the 2013 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators.

The award – given to eleven teachers from across the country by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality – recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers and their schools for excellence in integrating environmental education into their lessons and connecting students. As one of the awardees, Murphy will receive a commemorative certificate and a $2,000 award to be used to further her professional development in environmental education. Camden Hills Regional High School will also receive a $2,000 award to support environmental educational activities.

“We are pleased to join together to congratulate Margo on this impressive and well-deserved recognition,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “Her proven approach to environmental education helps students to develop a strong appreciation for our state’s natural resources, empowers them to become responsible stewards of our environment, and cultivates them to become the future leaders of our state and our nation.”

BACKGROUND: The Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators program recognizes and supports teachers from both rural and urban education settings who make use of experiential and environmental opportunities to utilize creativity and community engagement to help students develop a sense of civic responsibility and stewardship. More information on the selection criteria and process can be seen here.

Mary “Margo” Marguerite Murphy currently teaches Global Science and an elective botany course at Camden Hills Regional High School (CHRHS). She is co-advisor to the CHRHS windplanners and was instrumental in the installation of the school garden and orchard. CHRHS serves 660 students from five communities. Murphy received her B.S. in forest management in 1985, and her M.Ed. in secondary science education in 1992, both from the University of Maine, Orono. Prior to coming to Camden Hills Regional, she taught science for 22 years at Georges Valley High School where she served as Science Department Chair for several years. She is a nationally board certified teacher and received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Education.

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