Team Members
Sarah’s favorite water activity is exploring the bottom of local rivers for macroinvertebrates, especially caddisflies.
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Sarah PlummerOriginally from Rhode Island, Sarah met her husband while ski instructing in Vail, Colorado, before making southern Maine her new home. Sarah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Political Science in 2004. During and after her time at USM, she worked on watershed protection and various education and outreach initiatives both at PWD and Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District. Sarah returned to PWD as the Environmental Education Coordinator in 2013 and continues to work on school education programs and outreach efforts related to water and stewardship of our water resources. Sarah served on the Board of the Friends of the Presumpscot River and the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, and has been on the Planning Committee of the Southern Maine Children’s Water Festival committee since 2000. In 2008, she was awarded a US EPA Environmental Merit Award for her involvement in the Southern Maine Children's Water Festival, and received the Alumni of the Year Award from USM’s Department of Environmental Science in 2009. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Sarah finds herself in the Maine woods often, whether it’s trail running, skiing, biking, or exploring with her two kiddos and dog. She finds inspiration in our local lakes and rivers, and is passionate about sharing her love for conservation, science, and the outdoors with students of all ages.
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Amy DeneckerAmy Wells Denecker is currently the school librarian at Windham High School in Windham, Maine. In her time as a librarian, Amy has served on the board of the Southern Maine Library District, as member of the Reading Round Up planning committee, and as member of the Literacy for ME committee in Windham, Maine. Amy collaborated with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy to implement the first Teen Trendsetters reading mentor program in Maine. Prior to working as a librarian, Amy taught English in middle and high school and worked for HarperCollins Children’s Publishers and Random House Children’s Books. Amy has a BA in English from Wellesley College and an MLIS from the University of South Carolina. She lives in Portland, Maine with her husband and two daughters.
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Amy’s favorite water activity is playing in the giant (by Maine standards) waves at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Maine.
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Christine’s favorite water activity is paddle boarding in the summer with her girls on Rangeley Lake.
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Christine HeslerChristine Hesler is currently the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for RSU14. Christine also serves on the board of the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association representing Cumberland County. As the Director, Christine works with staff to create a student centered learning environment in a Proficiency Based system. She oversees the development of RSU14’S aligned curriculum in all eight content areas K-12 and provides professional development for staff. She is inspired by staff who think outside the box and provide meaningful, authentic experiences for students. Christine has a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Southern Maine and a Masters in Leadership from Saint Joseph’s College. She lives in Steep Falls, Maine with her husband and two daughters.
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Stacy SmithStacy is the Art Director at Ethos, a full service marketing firm located in Westbrook, Maine. She has nearly 16 years’ experience as an art director and graphic designer. Stacy works on logo and brand development, package design, print design, creative concepting, and art and photography direction. Originally from Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, Stacy obtained her BFA Degree with a concentration in Graphic Design from SUNY College at Fredonia in 2000. Stacy is also Girl Scout leader, Volunteer Coordinator for first grade at Great Falls Elementary School, as well as a girls lacrosse coach in Gorham, where she lives with her husband and two children.
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Jeff’s favorite water activities are: (when frozen) ice climbing, skiing, and mountaineering and (when liquid) water skiing, sea kayaking, kayak fishing, and rafting.
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Jeff RiddleJeff Riddle is a transplant to Maine from Johnstown, PA. Jeff wears many hats at Windham High School. He is an earth and space science teacher, adventure physical education teacher, advises the Windham Outing Club, is the varsity girls’ and boys’ cross country coach, and is a girls’ assistant outdoor track & field coach. In his time at Windham, starting in 1999, Jeff has served on advisory boards and other committees.
He dreamt up and saw several projects through, including the implementation of an indoor rock climbing facility. Jeff was a co-author and co-project director of a federal Carol M. White PEP grant earning Windham Schools a one million dollar grant to get Windham students actively engaged in their wellness pursuits. Within that grant, Jeff also oversaw The Center for Adventure Programming. Jeff has presented workshops at and directed several statewide conferences since he came to Maine. In 2011, Jeff was awarded the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District Educator of the Year Award. In 2013, Jeff earned an SMAA Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year Award. And in 2015, Jeff traveled to R.I.T., Rochester Institute of Technology, to be honored as one of their Distinguished Teachers within R.I.T.’s Teacher Recognition Program. Outside of Windham programming, Jeff has been an adjunct instructor at Saint Joesph’s College, a sea kayaking guide, a co-host of The Maine Show, worked at L.L. Bean’s and The Chewonki Foundation, and was an original board member of Teens to Trails (T3). Jeff earned a B.S. in Environmental and Agricultural Science Education from The Pennsylvania State University and has been teaching others for well over 20 years. He lives in Cumberland, Maine with his wife and their daughter. |
