Dave Murdock is an extraordinary teacher enhancing the education of his students with quality experiences. He created a learning lab that includes a prairie and a wetland and secured grants for equipment for stormwater drainage monitoring. He advises the Middle School Science Club and the High School Envirothon team.
 
Dave has a history of recognition for accomplishments in environmental education including WOW! Outstanding Educator 2005, Trumbull County Environmental Educator of the Year 2010 & 2016, Arthur Holden Jennings Science Award for Excellence 2016, and Environmental Education Council of Ohio's award for Outstanding Environmental Educator in the field of Formal Education 2018. 
 
These awards were given to Dave because of his pursuit of knowledge and his enthusiasm for motivating his students to become stewards of the environment. Since 2001 when he joined the staff of Champion Middle School, Dave established the after-school Science Club that includes family hikes, community speakers, and stewardship projects. One project includes restoring the native wetland habitat to a stormwater basin. He secured grants for thousands of wetland plugs, seeds, and equipment. Students will monitor stormwater before and after drainage into the wetland. A goal of the Science Club is to make the environment a better place by cleaning up parks, removing invasive species, and educating people about the environment. 
 
Dave also leads an annual Science Day where students participate in stream quality monitoring at a local park and learn why the biodiversity in the creek, a tributary of the Grand River and part of the Lake Erie watershed, is important. Members of the High School Envirothon team, which Dave advises, volunteer for this program.

Dave's accomplishments and willingness to go above and beyond for his students and his community exemplify the qualities of a distinguished environmental educator.