Len Lewis has been named the 2008 Knox County Conservation Teacher of the Year by the Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District.

Lewis is a fourth grade teacher at Prescott Memorial School in Washington.

The District honors teachers annually who use natural resource education in their curriculum, District officials said in a release. Lewis encourages his pupils to investigate their environment and teaches preservation techniques.

"This is one of the coolest times in a child's life," Lewis said in a release. "They're at a transition point where they're becoming quite capable academically, yet they're still young enough to get really excited about learning."

Students also have a hand in raising their hydroponic lettuce garden and get to eat the results.

Lewis will be honored at the District's Annual Dinner & Meeting on Nov. 6.