Environmental Sustainability & Engineering Academy (ESEA) instructor Renee Stillwell was recently named Hunterdon County Vocational School District’s Governor’s Educator of the Year.
Stillwell joined the district in 2021 and was quick to make an impact.
Stillwell is from Cream Ridge and earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a focus on agriculture from Delaware Valley University. She now resides in Annandale and is a certified instructor of Curriculum for Agricultural Sciences Education (CASE), Principles for Agricultural Sciences – Plant, and Foundations for Agribusiness.
She has state and local FFA (Future Farmers of America) leadership experience, having served as the secretary and president for the New Jersey FFA Association and as the president of the Allentown FFA Chapter, and was a New Jersey FFA National Officer Candidate in 2018. Stillwell previously was an intern at the Office of Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Education. She received the Princeton Agricultural Leadership Award from the Princeton Agricultural Society in 2015 and was a New Jersey FFA Association State Star Farmer in 2016.
Since joining the HCVSD faculty in 2021, Stillwell has expanded opportunities for the ESEA students and increased the program’s visibility. Under her leadership, the Hunterdon County ESEA Chapter of FFA was named the Most Improved Chapter, receiving a bronze ranking in the H.O. Sampson Award program, and was recognized as a Superior Chapter in New Jersey.
Many of her students have received top rankings in various competitions, including the National FFA Agriscience Fair. One of her students was selected as a semifinalist for the Harvard Global Sustainability Challenge. Stillwell also accompanied her students on the Ecology Project International trip to Hawaii, where they camped on beautiful beaches and explored the state’s sea life, nature and culture.
“Working with my students and exposing them to new and exciting information in a hands-on and memorable way is my favorite part of teaching,” Stillwell said. “I have a love for learning and gaining new experiences, so to be able to facilitate that to students and help them find the areas that they are most interested in is rewarding beyond measure. My students inspire and teach me something new every day, too. I am always blown away by their passion, creativity, excitement and talent.”
Stillwell does love to learn, and she continues to discover ways to develop as a teacher. Over the summer, she traveled to Alaska and Texas for curriculum training – part of which was funded through grants that she sought out, applied for and was awarded. She also engages with the community through the Hunterdon County Board of Agriculture and hosted one of its meetings on HCVSD’s Califon Campus, where the ESEA program is located.
“In the year since she joined HCVSD, Renee Stillwell has done an exemplary job of creating opportunities for the students in the ESEA,” said Jane Griesinger, supervisor of the Bartles Campus and director of curriculum and academies for HCVSD. “Through her efforts, her students have had many opportunities to participate in state- and national-level FFA leadership conferences and competitions. None of this would have been possible without Renee Stillwell’s initiative and drive.”
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