2022 Big River Teacher Award Winner: Cara Rieckenberg
The National Park Service and Mississippi Park Connection are pleased to announce the inaugural Big River Teacher Award, recognizing outstanding achievement and innovation by a teacher who has participated in the park’s education programs.
In honor of retired Ranger Lyndon Torstenson's commitment to bringing the river into classrooms in Minnesota, this award will celebrate the accomplishments of a Minnesota educator who has created innovative curricula that empowers students to become avid learners and build a lifelong relationship with the Mississippi River. The award will include a $500 honorarium and a plaque certifying the award, and recipient will be honored at the Big River Awards. The winner for 2022 is Cara Rieckenberg!
Cara will be honored at the 2022 Big River Awards on July 12 from 6:30PM-8:00PM at Fort Snelling State Park. The student winners of the Big River Art Contest will also be recognized that evening. All are welcome to attend and celebrate with us.
Current education title:
4th/5th Grade Multi-age Classroom Teacher but for the 2022-23 school year I am switching roles and will be the Principal!
School where you work:
Highlands Elementary in Edina
Grade levels you teach:
Grades 2-5
Years in teaching/education:
20
A favorite subject and why:
Always science, ever since I was a little girl. I used to collect plants, insects, snakes, worms, crawfish, and so much more. I’d stash them either in my bedroom or basement for observations.
How have you used the Mississippi River as a teaching platform for your classes?
I have used the Mississippi River as a teaching platform in studying water quality, ecosystems, habitats, geography and so much more. In each of the three school districts I have taught in, I have partnered with the Watershed District or Management Organization. We work to show students how the watershed in which they live and go to school connects to the Mississippi River so the choices they make impacts so many lives - both human and otherwise.
Additionally, I have been the primary facilitator of the Mississippi River Institute with Hamline’s Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) for 12 years. Each summer I worked with hundreds of educators from across the state teaching about the Mississippi River through the context of macroinvertebrates, geology, engineering, and forestry. For the last eight years I have been teaching at the Mississippi River Delta Institute in New Orleans. It’s a powerful experience to be able to teach from BOTH the headwaters of the Mississippi River and its delta.
You’ve been a longtime partner with the park. How has the park’s education programs (Big River Journey, etc) contributed to your success as an educator?
Each education program I have participated in, whether for professional development or as a field trip for students, I have learned SO MUCH! Every experience solidifies the importance of the River and becomes embedded into my instruction, conversations, and experiences with my learners, whether they are 7 or 70.
There are many ways a place can inspire a person. In what ways does the river and the surrounding park areas personally inspire you?
As a kid, I grew up in the country. We had a creek that went through the backyard acreage. This creek became my place to explore and learn. It was my place for immersion in nature and peace. I came into contact with so much variety of life and learned so much in my exploration. I think the Mississippi River is the larger context of this space in my childhood. Each time I cross this river or get down into it, I find peace and opportunities for connections to nature and learning.
There are a lot of directions for how students are taught. What can a river teach kids in comparison to other approaches for learning?
Nothing beats learning through experience. When students see, smell, hear, and feel the River, it is an experience that surpasses reading about the river. Students learn SO MUCH more when they experience the river. It becomes a living and breathing experience that students will not quickly forget.
What advice would you give new teachers for developing a curriculum centered on the river?
I worked with so many new teachers to put the environment into the context of their learning throughout my 20 years of working in formal education. Along the same line, I have worked with hundreds of teachers, both new and experienced, to put the river into the context of their curriculum. This is important, especially in Minnesota, where the river is such a big part of our natural landscape. We need to teach students in a place-based manner so students realize the powerful impact they have on this river.
The Big River Teacher Award is in honor of the service Ranger Lyndon Torstenson gave to the river and the surrounding park area. He was a champion for creating stewards for the river. In your mind, how do we teach students to become stewards of the river?
Lyndon is one of my most favorite people. He is who I wanted to grow up and be - a National Parks Ranger teaching people about our environment and backyard. To be able to do what Lyndon has done, we need to create connections to the river for students. If students do not have a connection of any sort there will be no stewardship. Learners need to experience the river through multiple perspectives - through the lens of our Native Americans, through multiple context lenses, and eventually through their own lens creating a space for the river within themselves.
Support the Big River Teacher Award:
Interested in applying?
Check our website in early spring of each year, when the application opens. You can view the application requirements here: