Meridian Park teacher wins Patsy Collins award

Denise Schuyler Peters
Meridian Park 4th grade hi-cap teacher
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Meridian Park 4th-grade highly capable teacher Denise Peters was presented with the Patsy Collins Award for Excellence in Education, Environment, and Community by IslandWood and the Seattle Foundation at their annual Waking the World Benefit Breakfast on November 15.

She was one of only three teachers in the region to receive the prestigious honor, which also comes with a $10,000 classroom grant for each of the recipients.

Tony Mestres, President and CEO of Seattle Foundation, presented Peters with the prestigious award and highlighted her work to student success and environmental awareness.

“As a 4th-grade teacher, Ms. Peters strives to create a classroom that fosters in her students a genuine curiosity about the world,” said Mestres. 

"Through self-directed, project-based learning she invites her students to explore ethical issues and to be citizen scientists. She takes her students into the field to study the complexities of wetland habitats and the impact of human actions on the environment.”

Denise Peters accepts the Patsy Collins award
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Meridian Park Elementary Principal David Tadlock echoed the high praise for Peters.

“She epitomizes the qualities of a public educator who embraces the whole child and provides hands-on, project-based learning experiences,” said Tadlock. 

“Meridian Park and Shoreline are lucky to have Denise and other educators who care about learning experiences that give students opportunities to consider their place in the world.”

Appreciative and humbled by the honor, Peters focused the award’s significance on the impact her work has on student success.

“I think that the Patsy Collins Award is an acknowledgment for the learning experiences I strive to create for students— engaging, cross-disciplinary, project-based, and tied to the community/ real-world,” said Peters.

Patsy Collins was a philanthropist and civic leader who believed in stewarding the environment and our natural resources for generations to come. In her honor, an anonymous Seattle Foundation philanthropist endowed an award to recognize teachers who inspire citizenship and environmental stewardship. IslandWood, a nonprofit outdoor learning center on Bainbridge Island, received a substantial gift from Patsy Collins during its founding.