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LEAF 2025 School Forest Awards


Nominations are open. Application deadline is Monday, January 26th, 2026.

Each year, LEAF recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to school forest programs.

These awards recognize individuals and organizations that have provided leadership and made significant contributions over a period of years to a local school forest registered through Wisconsin’s School Forest Program.

Nominees chosen to receive a 2025 School Forest Award will receive an engraved plaque, recognition on the LEAF School Forest website, and formal recognition within the honoree’s local school district or community.

Note: Nominees in any category may be individuals or organizations.

Educator (teacher/support staff, teacher aide)
Do you know an outstanding teacher or group of teachers in your district who have worked above and beyond to make the school forest an exceptional learning environment for the students?

Student (any grade level)
Has a student or group of students done outstanding work at your school forest to further the environmental education programming or sustainable forest management within your district?

School Administrator (superintendent, principal, curriculum director, any school administration official, etc.)
Is your school administrator or administrative team incredibly supportive of the work being done at your school forest? Does your administrator encourage and champion the forest’s use for student learning?

Resource Professional (foresters, educational or environmental organization, park or agency staff, natural resource manager, Extension agent, etc.)
Are you fortunate to have a resource professional or group who is available to help answer questions, provide guidance, or help sustainably manage your school forest property?

Community Member (Citizens, volunteers, community organizations, etc.)
Would your school forest program be a wonderful resource for your school without the help of a local community member or community organization?

 

Provide the following:

  • Completed School Forest Award Application Form.

    • A thorough description of the nominee’s involvement with programs, projects, or initiatives that have advanced the school forest program.
    • How many years the nominee has been involved with school forests and in what capacities.
    • Any professional development, curriculum and resource development, student involvement, networking and outreach, management, and/or fundraising opportunities the nominee has been involved with for the school forest.
    • As much detail as possible…showcase your nominee’s worthiness to the reviewers!

  • Reference letters from individuals who are familiar with the nominee’s environmental education efforts.

Nominees chosen to receive a 2025 School Forest Award will receive an engraved plaque, recognition on the LEAF School Forest Awards website, and formal recognition within their own community.

Awards timeline:

  • Nominations are due Monday, January 26, 2026.
  • The awards committee will review nominations in early February 2026 to decide awards recipients.
  • Nominators will be notified of the selection decision by email in mid-February 2026. Note: If you didn’t notify the nominee of their nomination, this is your chance to let them know.
  • LEAF will send congratulatory letters to ALL award recipients by email in early March. This notification will include at invitation to for award recipients and a guest to attend the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education’s (WAEE) Awards Program Saturday, April 11th, 2026 at Escuela Verde in Milwaukee. Attendance is optional. Note: If recipient is unable to attend, LEAF will request a photo of the award recipient to share during the ceremony.
  • Nominators are encouraged to plan a local recognition event for award recipients. LEAF makes every effort to attend these events and present the award to recipients. If you have a recognition event before April 11th, 2026, photos from your event will be shared at the WAEE Awards Program. If your event is after April 4, event photos will still be shared on LEAF’s social media, newsletter, and website.

 

Steve Schmidt

LEAF Outreach Specialist

Contact Steve with any School Forest Awards questions.

Award Recipients

2024 School Forest Award Winners

Ryan Bargender

Ryan Bargender, Abbotsford Schools Superintendent, has been instrumental in starting the Abbotsford School Forest program.

Very few school forest programs develop from an idea to a program in just a few years, especially converting a field to forest. Many of Wisconsin’s oldest programs with beautiful forests started this way decades ago after the cutover and fire devastated much of the land. Tending your program and the land takes time and patience. It also takes leadership and community. Mr. Bargender would be the first to tell you that the community deserves the award.

“The impact of Mr. Bargender’s contributions extends far beyond the boundaries of the school district. By creating a space that integrates education, conservation, and community involvement, he has set a standard for what can be achieved through collaboration and vision,” said Georgia Kraus, District Accountability Coordinator.

He continues to move the project forward into its second phase of growth, working with the city to build trails and ensure the success of the plantings.

Maple Grove Charter School Staff

The Maple Grove School Forest was registered in 2017, yet has a rich history of student involvement in its annual maple sap collection project for decades. Robin Hanson, the teaching principal, is a former student of the school, and had the vision to create a model curriculum that would go well beyond the original goals of the Wisconsin School Forest Program in developing stewards of the land and a conservation ethic.

“The Maple Grove Charter School Staff have embraced the potential of their school forest in ways not seen elsewhere in my long career as an educator and are models for teachers everywhere to emulate,” said Sandy Benton, Field Edventures Consultant.

The students at this school are fortunate to have such dedicated teachers and community.

 

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Past Recipients

2024

  • Ryan Bargender | Abbotsford Schools | Administrator
  • Maple Grove Charter School Staff | Maple Grove School Forest | Educators

2023

  • Robert Carlson | Turtle Lake and other area SFs | Community Member
  • Matthew Tiller | Verona School District | Educator
  • Becky Panzer | Waupun School District | Educator
  • Rylee Wanek | Riverdale High School | Student

2022

  • Jerry Maney | Wausau School District | Administrator
  • Adam Gould | Cambridge School District | Administrator
  • Henry Schienebeck | Great Lakes Timber Professionals | Resource Professional
  • Jeff Nyquist | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Joe Kinscher | Valders School District | Educator
  • Jenna McCann | Sauk Prairie School District | Educator

2021

  • Sandy Masterson | Stevens Point Area School District | Educator – Grounds
  • Dave Landers | Pulaski School District | Educator
  • Joe Bartylla | Luck School District | Educator
  • Kelsey Cowart | UW-River Falls | Administrator
  • Steve Williamson | Hartung Brothers, Inc (formerly DNR) | Resource Professional

2020

  • James Kersten | Madison Metropolitan School District | Educator
  • Pat Lyons | Boston School Forest | Community Member

2019

  • Aaron Burmeister | Burmeister Logging | Resource Professional
  • Brooke Tanck | Sevastopol School District | Educator
  • Crestwood Outdoor Education Committee | Crestwood Elementary School Forest | Community Members

2018

  • Jill Nemec | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Chris Schmitz | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Jason Ladwig Green Lake School District | Educator
  • Heather Wuske | Marion School District | Educator
  • Rebecca Armbruster | Mishicot School District | Educator
  • Scott Foster | Northland Pines School District | Administrator
  • Karla Lockman | Stevens Point Area School District | Administrator
  • Mark Mauer | Cumberland School Forest | Community Member
  • Greg Plotz | Paul Brandt Memorial School Forest | Community Member

2017

  • Russ Noland | Merrill Area Public Schools | Administrator
  • Marlene McIlheran | Greendale School District | Educator
  • Carol Pluedeman | Northland Pines School District | Educator
  • Travis Engel | Owen-Withee School District | Educator
  • Steve Kaufman | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Courtney Marschalek | Hartland Elementary Forest | Community Member

2016

  • Class ACT Charter School | Chequamegon School District | Student
  • Rhonda Fechter | Iola Scandinavia School District | Educator

2015

  • Michael Sieger | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Laura Cerletty | Whitnall School District | Educator
  • Mark Mosey | Colfax School District | Educator
  • Beth Shore | Tomorrow River School District | Educator

2014

  • Kevin Baird | LaCrosse School District (Summit) |Educator
  • Marty Maus | LaCrosse School District (Summit) | Educator
  • Brad Kildow | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Lyle Eiden | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • John “Jack” Lussier | Nels P Evjue Memorial Forest | Community Member
  • Brian Reiels | Nicolet Union High School | Educator

2013

  • Mary Wagner | Newman Catholic Schools | Educator
  • The Shumaker Family | Tigerton School Forest | Community Member
  • Stephen Hadfield | Pittsville School District | Educator

2012

  • Mike Rankin | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Dawn Ertl | Butternut School District | Educator
  • Penny Bohringer | Boscobel School District | Educator
  • Mike Toneys | Southern Door School Forest | Community Member
  • Wade Pettit | Granton School Forest | Community Member
  • Cindy Damrow | DC Everest School District | Administrator

2011

  • Steven Holaday | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • John Rhude | Nicolet Union High School | Educator
  • Tom Whalley | Tri-County School Forest | Community Member
  • Cheryl Steinbach | Granton School District | Educator
  • Craig Williams | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional

2010

  • Scott Mueller | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Joe Waters | Princeton School District | Educator
  • Paul Hintze | Princeton School District | Educator
  • Scott Brown | McFarland School District | Administrator
  • Liana Oleson | Pittsville Public School Forest | Community Member

2009

  • Keith Lindner | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Dr. Steve Smith | Boscobel School District | Administrator
  • Georgia Gomez-Ibanez | Cambridge Elementary School Forest | Community Member
  • Kristi Hawk | Port Edwards School District | Educator
  • Ruth Bauer | Paul Brandt Memorial School Forest | Community Member

2008

  • Steve Grant | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Amery Outdoor Education Committee | Amery School District | Educator
  • Larry Mancl | Tri-County School District School | Administrator
  • Janet Moore | McFarland School District Forest | Community Member

2007

  • Karen Dostal | Stevens Point Area School District | Administrator
  • Pat Hoffman | Stevens Point Area School District | Educator
  • Thomas Quilty | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Liz Roy | Oakfield School District | Educator

2006

  • Upper Chippewa Area DNR – Div of Forestry | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Cindy Edlund | Crandon School District | Educator
  • Don Aanonsen | Tigerton School District | Administrator
  • Wayne Jenson | Burlington Area School District Forest | Community Member

2005

  • Rollie Alger | Rhinelander School District
  • Darrell Hines | Mauston School District | Educator
  • Chris Langenfeld | Coloma School Forest | Community Member
  • Montello FFA | Montello School District | Student
  • Emanuel “Manny” Oradei | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • David Scholz | Phillips School District | Educator
  • Tracy Swedlund | Medford School District | Educator
  • Gary Vander Wyst | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Dennis Yockers | WCEE/UWSP | Resource Professional

2004

  • Elbridge (Al) Curtis | Nels P Evjue Memorial Forest | Educator
  • Hugh Curtis | Wausau School Forest | Educator
  • Genevieve (Genny) Fannucchi | Department of Natural Resources | Resource Professional
  • Theodore (Ted) Peterson | UW-Extension Forestry | Resource Professional
  • William Sylvester | UW-Stevens Point/Trees For Tomorrow | Resource Professional
  • Trees For Tomorrow/Gail Gilson-Pierce | Trees For Tomorrow | Resource Professional
  • Wisconsin Forest Resources Education Alliance | WFREA | School Forest Champion