While it’s often difficult to see childhood dreams brought to fruition, Green Hope AP Environmental Science & Marine Ecology teacher Mr. Benjamin Rush is able to live his – engaging in fascinating topics regarding the natural world in room 3312 every day. His affinity for environmental science started young – he always knew that he wanted to study marine biology. “As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a marine biologist. So then I ended up going to school and getting a bachelor’s in marine biology,” he said.
After completing this degree at the Florida Institute of Technology, he continued his education at George Washington University. Mr. Rush also reminisced on how he decided to become a teacher, stating, “My first job out of undergrad was teaching kids marine biology on field trips out at the beach. I just loved that, so that’s how I went into education, but marine biology is always my first love.
While in college, Mr. Rush had the unique opportunity to go on many scuba diving expeditions, which furthered his passion for this subject. Often, students are required to complete one PE credit at the collegiate level. Many partake in yoga, basketball, or dance; yet for Mr. Rush, it was becoming advanced scuba certified that earned him this credit. “If you get the chance to do it, do it. It is truly one of the coolest things you can do in college,” He explained. “It was such an incredible opportunity that also got me credit. Scuba diving is just one of those things that a lot of times people think it’s scary when they first start out, but once you get under there and you start to see everything, it’s a really amazing experience.”
Though Mr. Rush loved marine science, the joy he found in teaching it motivated him to enroll as a teacher at Green Hope, 25 years ago during it’s reopening. Moving into his 26th year on campus, he recalled the state of the Earth Sciences program when he first arrived here. “When the school opened, we only had freshmen and sophomores, so there was no AP Environmental. In fact, in my first year I taught Earth Science and Physical Science.” Mr. Rush saw the student population begin to grow, and so did the courses with it. He eventually started teaching his signature AP Environmental Science (APES) and Marine Ecology classes after two or three years.
Being one of the original faculty members, Mr. Rush had a large impact on the APES program that students enjoy today. Currently, the Marine Ecology and APES classes have the unique opportunity to visit the wetland behind our school in order to incorporate hands-on learning into their curriculum. “The wetland was a natural formation of a stream between where the tennis courts are now in the school that got backed up due to a sedimentation pond,” Mr. Rush stated.
“The second year that Green Hope was open, I had an academic environmental science class and we just went down there and explored the area. That, in conjunction with the state program called Streamwatch, is how I incorporated it into AP Environmental Science.”
Due to the work put in by Mr. Rush and other beloved teachers – namely, Mrs. Barbara Magee who also teaches the class – APES students are able to visit the wetland every other week to complete labs and rotating data-collecting stations. This opportunity is not necessarily provided at other schools; as Mr. Rush states, “It’s not uncommon for APES classes to go out maybe once or twice a semester to some location and do what we do. However, nobody else that I know of does it biweekly and has accumulated so much data in the same place.” In fact, the amount of data that the APES teachers and students have collected since the school’s founding is extensive and a testament to the environmental changes that the wetland has undergone. Each semester, students analyze this data and the profound history of the in-stream wetland in a detailed scientific report.
Overall, Mr. Rush hopes to leave his students with a better understanding and gratitude for the world around them. “My goal is that they appreciate the hands-on, feet-wet nature of APES, but also can appreciate all of the data that we’ve collected, and we analyze that through our lab reports,” he remarked. “I just hope my students get an appreciation for the natural world and try to be more sustainable in their daily lives, whatever path they take.” Whether it be catching the first eastern newt of the semester, finally completing their 30-plus page ‘Ecostudy’ or clutching a narrow victory over their opponents in the bi-annual “Great Wetland Race,” former and current Falcons alike can reflect on many joyful memories provided by the APES course and Mr. Rush’s commendatory dedication to educating and connecting with his students.
