PORT EDWARDS -- One of Kristi Hawk's goals as a science teacher is to reconnect students with natural settings, and now, she's receiving recognition for her work.

Hawk, a teacher at Port Edwards Middle/High School, received the school forest award at the Wisconsin School Forest Summit on Friday in Eau Claire for her dedication to school forestry. The award came with a plaque as well as free admission to the conference.

Teaching seventh- through ninth-graders, Hawk emphasizes use of the outdoor classroom in her science curriculum.

"So many times our kids don't have that opportunity -- they go from classroom to gymnasium to home, and they don't do the simple things ... acknowledging the wealth the world brings us," Hawk said.

For about 10 years, Hawk taught her students the characteristics of forests at the School District's 29-acre wooded teaching parcel west of the ERCO plant in Port Edwards. After the district sold the land to ERCO for $126,000 -- the company also donated $150,050 to the district as part of the agreement -- it purchased a new 40-acre forest for about $115,000.

The property is
west of Ripple Creek Park, within walking distance of the district's schools.

Hawk is now part of a community committee set to begin meeting in November to establish plans and goals for a new school forest, which will feature a facility devoted to teaching green technologies, Superintendent Pat Sullivan said.

"A lot of work went into the original school forest, a lot of community work," Sullivan said. "We thought it was underutilized because of the location, so we hope the new location will encourage classes to go over there."

Sullivan commended Hawk's role in conceptualizing the new forest.

Hawk said she was nominated for the award by Steve Grant, a forester for the state Department of Natural Resources who will help develop the management plan for the new site.

"He will walk through the parcel and help us locate strands of diversity -- trees, species and populations ... ." Hawk said.

When the new school forest will be ready for students and staff members is unknown at this point, but that day can't come soon enough for Hawk.