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Education

Education Staff

The educators at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm are highly trained zoo education instructors. All staff have passed federal background checks. For public programs, we maintain a 1: 12 ratio at all times while the children participate in supervised activities throughout their stay. During school programs, it is the responsiblity of the chaperones to maintain proper student behavior.

The education staff members have been fingerprinted by the St Johns County School District and are approved vendors in St Johns, Volusia, and Putnam counties in accordance with the Jessica Lunsford Act.

 

Katie Girvin
Curator of Education
Katie is the Curator of Education and started the education department in February 2008.
Katie grew up in Maryland along the banks of the Chesapeake Bay. She learned to love the outdoors from her father who is an avid fisherman, spending countless hours with him on his boat.  She received her Bachelor of Science from Coastal Carolina University in Marine Science. After graduation, she gained experience as a Naturalist at Myrtle Beach State Park, while also substitute teaching in the off season. She also participated in a graduate internship through Antioch College at Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center in Yellow Springs, Ohio. From these experiences, her passion for informal education grew. She attended Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida where she earned her Master’s of Science in Environmental Education. Katie worked for the Education Department at Brevard Zoo for three years before moving to St. Augustine to take her current post.   
In her spare time, Katie is a crafting fiend, spending most of her creative juices on knitting. She also enjoys watching TV, video games and not doing laundry. Katie and her husband Jerry have recently purchased their first house and hope to become longtime residents of St Augustine.    

 

Debi Ricks
Education Specialist
Debi was born in northern Indiana, but she grew up in Florida near Clearwater. She has always been fascinated by animals, and as a child she loved watching nature programs, going to the zoo, and collecting stuffed animals.
Debi attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Education degree. After graduating, she substitute taught while continuing to take classes towards an endorsement for teaching gifted students. She then taught elementary school gifted in Gainesville for two years before joining the education department at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.
In her spare time, Debi enjoys reading novels and watching football. She also loves visiting new places, as well as going to theme parks and to the beach.