Susan Tate has taught for 19 years at Whitehall Middle School, currently teaching 8 th grade Earth Science. She serves as the advisor for the Environmental Club, the school’s Lexus Eco

Challenge teams, the GreenScreens Environmental Film Festival, and chairs the Green School Committee. Susan has been involved with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative for ten years, and through this program her students create and implement place-based environmental stewardship projects with the help of community partners such as the Michigan DNR, the Muskegon Conservation District, and the White Lake Sustainability Network. Susan has been a Regional Director for the Michigan Science Teachers Association for the last five years, she serves on the NSTA Science Matters Advisory Board, and was recently selected as a National Geographic Certified Educator and Certification Trainer. Susan was honored as the 2012 Michigan Middle School Science Teacher of the Year, and she has twice been a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching.

Outside of teaching middle school science, Susan enjoys traveling, meeting new people, nature photography, and learning more about sustainability. A highlight of her career was her March 2013 trip to Antarctica with the environmental advocacy group 2041. She agrees with 2041 founder, Sir Robert Swan that, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Her favorite penguin is the Adelie. Susan lives in West Michigan with her husband Brad and children, Allison and Brady.

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