"Myles is a teacher who walks the talk when it comes to outdoor and environmental education."
(SOEEA newsletter, 1999)
Myles Radchenko (Melanson Award Winner, 1999)
Myles Radchenko is a man of many passions. One passion focuses on learning/teaching about and for the environment, and another focuses on the outdoor environment.
Myles began his formal teaching career back in 1971. He has taught mainly science and biology in many locations including Eston, West Germany (DND) and Swift Current. He added a major in environmental education with his masters degree in 1988 from Simon Fraser University. He has taken students on countless field trips to study prairie dogs, rattlesnakes, fossils, the sandhills, soils, the grasslands, and agricultural settings. Currently he has biology students involved in riparian studies and water quality testing in the South Saskatchewan River Basin.
Myles is a teacher who walks the talk when it comes to outdoor and environmental education. He credits his upbringing on the family farm in Saskatchewan, with his father as a mentor, for a lifelong love of the outdoors and respect for the earth. Myles’ father and mother taught him to make the most of every resource, to use nature’s gifts wisely and finally to share that lesson with others.
Myles has Bachelor’s Degrees in Science and Education and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Education. He continues to model being a lifelong learner.
Myles has been leading field trips and encouraging other teachers to take students into the outdoors his entire career. Over 30 years, he has planned, promoted and led thousands of students on outdoor education trips within Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia in all four seasons. Whether it was a local cycling trip, a trek to BC to teach students about the salmon spawn or to Churchill, Manitoba to view polar bears, Myles always made the effort to inspire youth and colleagues to value the outdoors.
Myles was an Executive member of SOEEA for over 10 years. He was President from 1993 to 1996 – a three-year term. During that time he started a new program, the SOEEA Ecotour – which continues today.
Southwestern Saskatchewan is a better place because of Myles Radchenko. The local environment has benefited from Myles’ involvement. Many students have benefited from his legacy of providing quality outdoor and environmental education experiences. SOEEA is a better organization because of Myles.
Sources:
Myles Radchenko Melanson Award Citation, SOEEA, 1999
SOEEA Newsletter, 1999