April 2013
ORANGE COUNTY EDUCATOR KIM KELLEHER
Chapel Hill, NC

A passion for science and environmentalism, two things that have inspired Kim Kelleher in her work as a School Counselor at New Hope Elementary in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Over the past year Kelleher created a Junior Ranger program and led the charge to clean up and reinvigorate a local nature trail. Her goal, to clean up the environment and more importantly to help educate our youth on how to better care for mother nature and stay active outdoors. For her efforts Kim Kelleher was honored with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for April 2013.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.

Once Ms. Kelleher planted the seed of fixing up the old Nature Trail with her students the group set forth on a mission that has grown into a whole new curriculum at the school. After many hours of cleaning up, picking up trash, remarking the path and adding new stations the Nature Trail was complete. Since that time Kelleher has worked with students to promote hands-on activities and character development opportunities the trail offers and today, it is part of the Common Core Curriculum. The project grew another branch when Ms. Kelleher founded a Junior Ranger Program inspiring a passion in science and environmentalism among the students and staff. Her Rangers are now preparing to host Arbor Day, Earth Day and an upcoming Science Extravaganza. These programs have improved student attendance, behavior and academic performance.

For her efforts to expose local youth the environmental sciences as well as protecting the environment through cleaning up a nature trail, Kim Kelleher was chosen to receive the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for April 2013.