FIELD NOTES BLOG

Sydney's Farewell

Sydney Sherbitsky
August 26, 2025

I’m sitting at my desk listening to the distant chatter of kids outside and the excited murmuring of my coworkers. I am surrounded by tokens of memories - a sticker from the rot museum and a walnut shell owl I made with campers. On my computer screen, a half edited video about the Grove. In my desk drawer, a stack of lesson plans I once felt nervous to teach, but I now know by heart. Next is the bigfoot code from the cryptid hike, handwritten notes from my coworkers, and the spot where my notebook lives. This notebook has been with me from the start of this position and is full of the many things I have learned at Severson Dells. As my time here comes to a close, I flip back through the pages and reflect on what the past year has taught me…

Discover Nature Hike Lesson Notes

When I first started at Severson last October I was trying to absorb as much information as possible, so I copied down some field trip lesson plans, one of them being: discover nature hikes. These hikes were always a magical experience and I was so excited to lead my first hike on my own. I have now led dozens of hikes in addition to the countless other field trip programs I have facilitated in the fall and spring.

We love Graphic Design!

I was introduced to Canva and Severson’s branding guidelines early and I learned how to connect with a wider audience on our outline platforms. I have written many informational blogs in this position, created many Canva Instagram posts, and edited many reels. Some of my favorite projects were the big melt blog, the animal courtship ceremonies Instagram post, and the kids FAQ reel.

Lesson Planning 101

I helped lead afterschool programs at two local Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the winter and spring that reached 500 students. The Boys and Girls Club program allowed me to learn how to write lesson plans, and after many edits, I taught those lessons at the afterschool program.

Watershed Management Intro

This program is where I found my teaching style. This winter we visited 5th grade classrooms across the Rockford public school system to teach about the importance of water management. I taught this lesson many times over, so I started to add my own twist to things: I named some of the animals in the model and pretended I was an evil mayor that polluted the water before we brainstormed how we could keep runoff water clean on its way back to nature. And just like that, teaching went from something that made me a little nervous to something I really enjoyed doing.

City Nature Challenge Game Plan

One of my goals is to become better at identifying species of plants, animals, and fungi. City Nature Challenge gave me the opportunity to fast track this goal in an all out “bio blitz” of identifying all things nature using iNaturalist. The staff also started competing to find the most bird species using Merlin Bird ID. I found 80 bird species!

RPS Camp Planning

The icing on the cake of my experience was directing RPS camp with my co-worker and friend Shannon. We designed and carried out a five week summer camp that reached 100 Rockford Public School Campers! Each week we led the campers through shelter building, owl pellet dissections, creek walks, and more. We had a lot of fun getting to know the campers and watching them become more comfortable in nature.

Sydney’s Farewell...

It is now time to turn the page. While I am not sure where the next step in my career will take me, like a leaf to the wind, I will take my experiences and memories from working at Severson wherever I may end up next. I dedicate my success in this position to Andrea, Elly, Liz, Ann, Laura, Becca, Linda, Emma, Shannon, Rowan, Mason, and Salem. After moving from my hometown in New York for this soul-touching work a year ago, each of you have made me feel welcome and helped me learn as an educator along the way. Thank you for making this such an amazing experience filled with potlucks, discover nature hikes, “if you can hear my voice…”, hiding taxidermy, “No, there aren’t alligators in the pond”, songs of the week, and friendship. 

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

RECENT ARTICLES

Meet Holly: Wild Roots Community Engagement Manager

By Holly Hansen • July 9, 2026
While many of you may already know me, allow me to introduce myself! I’m Holly and I’m the new community engagement manager here at Wild Roots Nature Center . While I am new to this role, I am not new to Wild Roots. I got my start at Wild Roots way back in 2019 as an environmental education AmeriCorps Volunteer. During my time, I was able to help connect people to nature and foster stewardship of our lands at all age levels. Even when COVID-19 hit, that didn’t stop us from planning for the future and coming up with ideas for how to engage people in our natural world. From there, I completed two more terms of service with AmeriCorps, one in Florida and one back here at Wild Roots with 815 Outside. (You’ll start to notice a pattern here.) As I finished my undergraduate degree in environmental studies and my master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, I remained a volunteer with Wild Roots, joining in on the fun of Science Saturdays, signature events like Luminaria, and canoe convoys. I simply never left this community. My most recent role as assistant director of campus sustainability at Northern Illinois University has prepared me for my return to Wild Roots. I’ve learned so much over the years about connecting with people of all different backgrounds, bridging the gap between nature and community. I look forward to continuing these conversations as the community engagement manager at Wild Roots Nature Center! Other fun facts: When I’m not in nature, you can find me among a circle of friends, crafting and laughing, making stained glass art, and immersing myself in a good book or tv show. I’m always happy to be a listening ear and I am fiercely loyal. Plus, I’ll never say no to a new adventure!

Meet Brandy: Wild Roots Finance and Administrative Coordinator

By Brandy Korth • July 2, 2026
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I genuinely love people, organized chaos and finding joy in the little things. So, when the opportunity came to join the team at Wild Roots, it felt like everything came together in the best way. Professionally, I’ve spent more years than I’d like to admit in finance, bookkeeping and office management. I actually enjoy spreadsheets, balancing budgets, and making sure all of the behind-the-scenes pieces fit together (yes…I’m one of those people!). But my energetic and bubbly personality doesn’t always fit the type for an accounting aficionado. Before building my career in finance, I earned a degree in Elementary Education. Looking back, it makes perfect sense because teaching and finance have one thing in common – you need patience, flexibility, quick on your feet, and a good sense of humor! I absolutely love the fact that Wild Roots is so committed to outdoor education, and it is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to root myself here as well. Perfect blend of both of my worlds. Outside of work, I’m a proud mom to three wonderful (and very energetic!) boys. They keep me on my toes, whether we’re at a ball field, exploring a new park, or simply enjoying time together. Being their mom has taught me that the best adventures don’t have to be big – they’re usually found in the simple moments, especially when you’re outside exploring together! That’s one of the reasons Wild Roots already feels like the perfect place. I believe nature has an incredible way of bringing people together, slowing us down, and reminding us to appreciate the world around us. Knowing that I get to support an organization that helps families, students and our community experience that every day is something I am truly excited about.  I’m incredibly grateful to be here and can’t wait to be part of everything that makes this place so special. Here’s to new beginnings, new connections, and plenty of time spent enjoying the beauty of nature together!

50 Years of Severson Dells Nature Center

By Becca Rankins • June 25, 2026
This article has been adapted from it's original publication in "Notes From the Dells" Vol 47 No. 1