Derek Debrauske

Science Instructor, High School

derek.debrauske@pcae.k12.mn.us  |  763-279-4296

Derek Debrauske joined the Perpich faculty in 2022. He is our Life Science specialist, teaching Biology and Environment & Sustainability. Derek studied Botany at The University of Wisconsin, where he earned a B.S., along with lots of experience doing field and laboratory research. He followed this passion of science to Minnesota, where he received his Master’s degree in education at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Derek utilizes the campus ecosystem as a learning tool. His classes practice service-learning, inquiry, and experiential learning on outdoor campus ventures. His overarching goal is to connect his students with Minnesota flora and fauna, along with the ecosystem we all inhabit. Through these practices, Derek also organizes students to be a part of long-term ecological restoration and conservation projects at school.

Derek strives to share this perspective through cross-disciplinary projects and collaborative experiments in the classroom.

Current interests: Midwestern flora, migratory birds, fossil fuels, supply chains, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, plant-plant communication, elderberries, milkweeds.