Global Field Program (GFP) graduate Rachel Arbor '23 of Beacon, New York, won the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association's Paul DeHart Hurd Award for Exemplary Middle Level Science Teaching and Leadership. The award, named for Paul deHart Hurd (1905-2001) who spent his life as a science educator with a social vision, is presented by the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association, a Division Affiliate of the National Science Teaching Association, and sponsored by FOSS/School Specialty Inc. 

In April 2024 the Garrison School, where Arbor works as the Director of Environmental Education, was awarded the lifetime Green Ribbon award by the U.S. Secretary of Education for its work to promote environmental education and sustainable school practices. Spanning nearly 200 acres, the school campus provides abundant space to impart meaningful sustainability education and was selected for its numerous initiatives, including the annual Pre-K-12 Youth Climate Summit, to provide all students with an interactive, clean, and sustainable environment. 

The Green Ribbon school nominee form states that the Garrison School considers sustainability a fundamental principle and aims to nurture the next generation of environmentally conscious individuals. “Rachel Arbor, the Director of Environmental Education, plays a crucial role in this endeavor and actively integrates environmental education (EE) into the curriculum across all grade levels. Teachers' professional development ensures effective EE integration, while collaboration fosters the creation of interdisciplinary ecological content.”

In May 2024 Arbor led the second annual PK-12 Youth Climate Summit, which serves as a platform for PK-12 students from various school districts and states to converge in the spirit of sustainability. The summit unites the entire community, exposing students to experts and allowing them to present their ideas and share their long-term research projects. Students have an opportunity to not only learn from experts in the field through hands-on workshops, they can also contribute to public discourse. Over 1,000 people from schools and the community alike joined in this event - including NYS Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg!

In addition to being an EE coordinator, Arbor has started her own company, Gaia Scholastic, which integrates standards-driven environmental literacy into the classroom, and now serves as the New York State Lead for the SubjecttoClimate, a nonprofit that offers free, teacher-vetted K-12 climate change educational resources for teachers. New York’s SubjecttoClimate online hub for educational teacher resources will launch in August 2024. 

Arbor earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in the Biological Sciences from Miami through Project Dragonfly‘s GFP. Since joining the GFP master's in 2020, Arbor has traveled to Baja and the Galapagos, engaged with global conservationists in action projects through an online course, and conducted projects that have made a difference in the Beacon and larger Hudson Valley region.