Hastings High School Biology teacher Joe Beattie has been named as the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau 2020 Educator of the Year. Beattie is in his 26th year teaching biology at Hastings High School when he isn’t wearing waders and walking through the muck of a local river or stream looking for bugs, frogs or whatever else he can find. Joe is an incredibly hard worker. As a teacher, he is constantly looking for better ways to help his students understand biology, conservation and the other aspects of science. He spends countless hours scouring information about his subject matter to find current articles and issues related to his curriculum and then integrates it into his classroom. He spends countless hours planning for his field biology class and attends meetings to make contacts with local authorities on the river. He is a tireless advocate for the environment and a cleaner Vermillion and Mississippi River. He is not only a great teacher but a great example to his students of how we must continue to learn about and be caretakers of our environment.
