2011 Henry H. Meigs Scholarship Award

Virginia Friedman, 2011 Henry H. Meigs Scholarship Award Winner

Educator, The Philadelphia School

Born in Princeton, Virginia's first memory of celebrating the natural world was streaking across their suburban courtyard at age two. When her family transplanted to Bethesda, Maryland, she grew to love the C&O Canal, camping, fishing, and biking. She volunteered at a local vetrinary clinic, then the National Zoo in Washington D.C., and continued to pursue these "wild" interests when she moved to Philadelphia for college, grad school, and life after academia. Virginia has a masters in English and a minor in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania; the combination  caused her parents much stress. The ensuing masters in Environmental Education from Arcadia University didn't do much to assuage their worries of financial stability (the other "green") and the risk of her moving back home, but she paid off her student loans and was lucky enough to find her niche in Philadelphia's incredible community. She married former college crush and fellow teacher Michael Friedman on Earth Day 2000, and they are now known as "the parents of Leo (6) and Sadie (3)."

2010 The West Philadelphia Hybrid X Team
2009 Pam Seretny, Teacher, Philadelphia Mennonite School
2008 Dana DeNick & Students from Esperanza Academy
2007 Kim Fullam and her 8th Grade Class from the James Dobson School
2006 Olney 704 High School (Students & Faculty)