Sultan educator teaches experiential biology

To Sultan High School biology teacher Ryan Monger, education is about a lot more than just books.

That's why Monger's students routinely find themselves trekking through the forest behind the high school, manning the school's on-site salmon hatchery, tending the new vegetable garden or working in the school greenhouse.

A strong advocate for a hands-on educational approach, Monger tries to take advantage of the area's abundant resources by incorporating different elements of the Sky Valley into his curriculum.-á

Monger was recently recognized for his innovative teaching techniques, traveling to Washington, D.C., in July to be honored with the 2014-2015 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators. He received a commemorative plaque, along with a $2,500 educational grant to be dedicated toward professional development in environmental education.

The district received an additional $2,500 grant to fund environmental programming. Monger credits Sultan High School Principal Tami Nesting and paraeducator Rosaleen Wilcox, who helped him navigate the award application process.

Originally from Bellevue, Monger, 34, attended college at the University of California in Santa Barbara. His career as an educator has been influenced by his own experiences in college.

"I was studying aquatic biology,GÇ¥ Monger said. "We were on the ocean, and in five years we went to the beach three times as part of my classes. So that kind of inspired me to not do that, because I thought that was terrible.GÇ¥

Instead of being confined to the classroom, Monger's students spend time in the forested area behind the school. They've identified trees, removed invasive blackberry brambles, inventoried different types of fungus and restored native habitat. They've even tapped maple trees and boiled the sap down into syrup. The wooded area features a quarter-mile trail system that's getting a tiny bit overgrown, and Monger looks forward to working with this year's students to restore it.

"The Snohomish Conservation District is donating $1,000-worth of native forest plants that we're going to plant in here, and try and establish what the forest is supposed to be like,GÇ¥ Monger said.

Implemented in February, Monger's new vegetable garden has served to enhance his curriculum by incorporating an agricultural element.-á He's also made use of the school's temperature-controlled greenhouse, which has given his students more options.

"Some kids were more into the gardens, so they worked their gardens a lot,GÇ¥ Monger said. "Other kids were more into the greenhouse, so they got the flowers all ready for the plant sale.GÇ¥

Each spring, the high school hosts a plant sale, featuring a large variety of annual plants, including marigolds, begonias, petunias, impatiens and hanging baskets.

Student volunteers Charlie Owens and Diego Arriaga worked throughout the summer to help maintain the vegetable garden, which is currently producing sunflowers, tomatoes, corn, squash, kale, squash blossoms and zucchini.

The garden also features a small orchard, which will eventually offer apples, pears, peaches, plumbs, raspberries and grapes. The orchard was made possible by Raintree Nursery located in Morton, Wash., which donated $2,500 worth of fruit trees.

Pine Creek Nursery in Monroe contributed 15 yards of compost to help establish the new garden. Monger is hopeful he'll be able to further develop the garden area, and he eventually wants to create an outdoor classroom area that students can use for projects like grafting rootstock, a common method of propagating fruit trees.

One of his goals is to teach students to live more sustainably by growing their own food. So far, he's been successful.-á

"A lot of kids have started their own gardens,GÇ¥ Monger said. "That has meant more than winning the award.GÇ¥

Another important component of Monger's hands-on curriculum is the salmon hatchery. Each year, Sultan High School's Fish Lab is stocked with thousands of fish donated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery in Gold Bar. Students are tasked with caring for the fish, which arrive as eggs.

"The Wallace Falls Hatchery has been outstanding,GÇ¥ Monger said. "Every time we've wanted salmon, they've given them to us.GÇ¥

Once they become large enough, the fish are released into Winter's Creek or the nearby Sultan River. Monger attributes the hatchery's success to Sultan resident Don Foltz, who helps him care for the 28-by-24-foot facility. This year he received additional help from Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club member Kelli Mack, who helped Monger devise a system to improve the overall water quality in the hatchery.

Currently scheduled to undergo renovations, the hatchery is not operational.

Students have responded favorably to Monger, who has taught at Sultan High School for just more than three years. Recent Sultan High School graduate Matt Baller highly valued Monger's interactive teaching methods.

"Mr. Monger is the kind of teacher every school needs,GÇ¥ Baller said. "He knows how to intrigue students with a curriculum that actually involves students and gets them working on something long-lasting. He has an amazing way of making the classroom fun by using outside sources and really engaging students. He is one of the best assets that has come to SHS.GÇ¥

Monger doesn't just teach his students to live sustainably ' he does so himself. He lives on a small farm in Sultan with his wife, Joanna, and their two young sons, 4-year-old Joshua and 1-year-old William. He grows food on his half-acre garden, and raises chickens, ducks and turkeys. His 2-year-old border collie, Sally, helps keep the predators at bay.

"If you have animals, I learned that you need a dog,GÇ¥ Monger said. "I lost like 80 percent of my chickens the last year I didn't have a dog, and then I got Sally, and I've lost less than 1 percent.GÇ¥

This year, Monger will teach biology, advanced biology and garden and greenhouse classes. He is looking forward to building on last year's successes.

"None of this would have ever happened without the enthusiasm of the students,GÇ¥ Monger said. "That is by far the main key.GÇ¥

Monger is not the only science teacher at Sultan High School who can boast a national award. His coworker, biology and chemistry teacher Karissa Kelley, was the recipient of the National Science Teachers Association 2015 Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award for New Teachers.