This award honors Dave Colburn, a longtime resident of Manhattan, an active community member and a service leader. Mr. Colburn’s commitment to formal education resulted in serving on the USD 383 Board of Education for 16 years, including two terms as President, and providing leadership during some challenging transitions for the district. Colburn’s longtime leadership position at the Pathfinder in Manhattan allowed him to encourage and support community members in outdoor exploration and recreation, and his passion for the outdoors is reflected in his volunteer service in the community. Colburn has consistently supported community youth activities, and his influence spans over 40 years in mentoring student employees at The Pathfinder. Funding to establish this prestigious award was provided by the Bill and Erma Riley Family.
KACEE is pleased to present the first Dave Colburn Award to Gregg Eyestone! Gregg is the Horticulture Extension Agent with the K-State Research and Extension office in Manhattan, Kansas.
Courtney Smith, art teacher at Marlatt Elementary, shares how Gregg has inspired her school and community.
"Gregg has been a huge supporter of the school gardens at Marlatt Elementary and other schools in USD 383, as well as the Riley County 4- H Extension community gardens. Among other things, he ensures that we have compost or soil to fill our four school garden beds, he dedicates time over the summer to planting sweet potatoes to ensure the kids in the fall have an amazing gardening experience, he visits our students in the fall with sweet potato harvesting lessons, and joins in the harvest for our community partnership luncheon. The students make sweet potato fries and pies for the luncheon, using the plants they've grow with Gregg's guidance.
In the springtime, Gregg works with 4th graders to help with the salad gardens. Each week he provides lessons on plants and what's needed for them to grow and thrive. Once the plants have matured, Gregg and the students harvest the salad gardens, and they have a complete ground-to-table experience!
Gregg's knowledge, drive, and generosity in sharing his passion for environmentalism and green spaces within our community and schools are invaluable to us. He’s been a fantastic partner for the USD 383 Green Champions program, as well as a key resource for both educators and students.
KACEE is pleased to honor Gregg Eyestone with the Dave Colburn Green Apple Award. Gregg's commitment and service to supporting the Kansas Green Schools of Manhattan has a positive impact on the environmental sustainability of both schools and community. Gregg will be presented with the inaugural Dave Colburn Green Apple Award on Tuesday, May 4 at 4:30 PM at Pottorf Hall in CiCo Park in Manhattan, Kansas. For more information, contact Kansas Green Schools Coordinator, Rachel Wahle (rwahle@kacee.org).
