A teacher whose early love for the outdoors inspired his career has earned an award from one of Georgia’s leading conservation education organizations. Georgia’s Project Learning Tree (PLT) has named Gage Williams its 2025 Educator of the Year award. The honor is given annually to a PLT-trained educator who goes above and beyond to foster meaningful, hands-on learning experiences fostering environmental literacy, sustainability, and natural resource education.

Williams was recognized for establishing an environmental club and providing meaningful, hands-on activities for students at The Forest School in Fayetteville, Ga. He utilized a wide variety of Project Learning Tree resource materials in subjects ranging from marine biology and wildlife management to entomology and sustainability.

Williams said he is fortunate to have grown up enjoying 4-H activities, and as a teacher, he “uses what worked for me!” As an under graduate he worked at the Georgia Aquarium and was employed at the UGA Extension Service before joining The Forest School. “It’s a self-directed education model,” he said. “”When we expose students to a subject, maybe thirty percent are genuinely interested. The goal is that by the end of a project, every child will find something that interests them and become one hundred percent involved.” Williams said he considers himself more of a “guide” than a teacher, and he sees his students as learners on their own individual learning journeys. The adaptability of PLT has helped him tailor activities to those individual learning journeys.   

In recognizing Williams’ award, PLT Co-Chair Chelsea York said, “The curiosity and enthusiasm Gage sparks in his students reflects a true dedication to cultivating future environmental stewards. His involvement with piloting PLT’s Forests, Water, and People activity collection and authentic engagement with the outdoors is exactly what the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award celebrates.”

 For more information about Project Learning Tree and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org.