Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts

News Release

SPRINGFIELD, IL, July 30, 2007—The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts (AISWCD) honored David Rigby of McHenry County as the 2007 Secondary Teacher, of the Year at their 59th Annual Meeting and Illinois Land and Water Resources Conference held at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield, Illinois. 

For the past 33 years, David Rigby teaches 7th grade science at Johnsburg Jr. High School. He is being recognized for this environmental education excellence for teaching the conservation ethic to young people. Rigby has the dedication to make sure that the students learn not only the science of our environment, but also the love for it and tries to teach them to “conserve it and preserve it”.

Rigby has developed manuals and teaching aids for junior high science teachers to help them in the curriculum of water quality which are state goal aligned. Workshops were held by Rigby to help teachers learn how to use the book he wrote entitled Challenges in their classroom which reaches as many as three thousand students per year using this curriculum.

Using this curriculum Rigby produced students learn in the classroom about the history, geography and science of the Fox River Watershed. The classroom literally turns into a representation of the watershed. Students create wall maps that illustrate the entire watershed, another wall is a billboard demonstrating different types of pollution, which all help students learn how to become river watchdogs and caretakers.

Rigby will also receive a $250 Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Education. Valerie Keener, Division Representative stated, “We are pleased to be able to provide this grant funding to David Rigby. He has demonstrated exceptional abilities to inspire and challenge students in his school to recognize the importance of conservation.”

This award is open to any seventh - twelfth grade educator who teaches full time in public, parochial or private classrooms.

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