Kentucky Teacher

Learn how environmental education helps Kentucky students master science and other academic content through engaging hands-on learning experiences that demonstrate how their choices and actions affect the world around them.

The program, hosted by Bill Goodman, airs Monday, March 18 at 9 p.m. ET on KET. Following the broadcast, the program can be viewed online at ket.org/educationmatters.

This Education Matters includes a visit to Blackacre Nature Reserve in Louisville to see a group of inner-city students participating in field study activities and to West Carter Middle School in Olive Hill, where students have built a zero-energy greenhouse for growing lettuce and other vegetables.

Scheduled panelists include:

• Elizabeth Schmitz, executive director of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council
• Sean Elkins, science consultant at the Kentucky Department of Education
• Tresine Logsdon, energy and sustainability curriculum coordinator for Fayette County Public Schools
• Dr. Melinda Wilder, professor of curriculum and instruction and director of the Division of Natural Areas at Eastern Kentucky University

The Southeast Environmental Education Alliance (SEEA) is partnering with the professional environmental education associations across the southeast to provide small grants in support of programs and projects that support and advance environmental education (EE) and environmental literacy in the region.

SEEA is a network of state affiliates of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), made up of eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

To learn more about SEEA, visit its website at http://www.southeastee.org/or go to the 1st Annual SEEA Conference in Jamestown, Ky. Sept. 14-15.

Proposals should be submitted electronically to director@kaee.org Nov. 1. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted.

Download the Request for Proposals.

Download a word version of the Application Packet. Read the full story

The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is sponsoring its environmental education (EE) video contest for high school and college undergraduate students.

The focus of the contest is to showcase environmental education heroes – people who can inspire students to chart a career path in environmental education and harness their own power to improve the world.

Four winners (two from the high school level and two from the college undergraduate level) will receive an iPad3, and their video will be featured on NAAEE’s website and at the NAAEE annual conference in October.

Entries will be in the form of video profiles of educators discussing what they do and how they found their path to help educate and empower others to value and protect our planet.

Winning profiles will reflect people from diverse backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, communities and in a wide variety of EE related career fields. The deadline to submit material is July 31.

For more information, go to www.naaee.net/careervideocontest.

The Smithsonian’s Shout webinar series, which offers K-12 and higher-ed educators multi-dimensional resources to expand their environmental curriculum, features more than 20 sessions led by Smithsonian experts from both the arts and sciences, giving participants a global view of the issues associated with our most critical natural resource: water.

During the sessions, participants will have the opportunity to interact with Smithsonian experts and webinar participants. In addition, the Smithsonian offers comprehensive teacher lesson-planning materials and hands-on activities, including a new badging program to reward student participation.

The series kicked in February with “Water Questions: When We Want to Learn More,” and sessions are archived here.  The next sessions will be held March 26-27 and May 16-17. Teacher preview sessions are also scheduled to review the resources available through the Smithsonian. The webinars are open to anyone interested in environmental issues, and teachers may participate on their own or with their classes.

 To register and receive connection instructions, visit here.

The Kentucky Department of Education, along with our Green partners, recently selected three outstanding Kentucky schools as recipients of the first Kentucky Green Ribbon School Award.  These schools are the nominees for the 2012 National Green Ribbon School Award, which will be announced on April 23.

The three winning schools, listed by school district, are:

Fayette County – Rosa Parks Elementary

Scott County – Georgetown Middle

Warren County – Richardsville Elementary

KDE also acknowledged the other Kentucky Green Ribbon School applicants for their accomplishments:  Christian County’s Lacy Elementary and Kenton County’s Turkey Foot Middle.  Representatives from all five schools will be invited to a recognition ceremony in April.

The award is the first comprehensive recognition of exemplary achievement in environmental impact, health and education.  It recognizes schools where staff, students, officials and communities have worked together to produce energy efficient, sustainable and healthy school environments and to ensure the sustainability and environmental literacy of graduates. Read the full story

The Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest is the culmination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Junior Duck Stamp educational program.

After studying waterfowl anatomy and habitat, students may demonstrate their knowledge by drawing, painting or sketching a picture of an eligible North American waterfowl species.

K-12 students attending public, private or home schools are eligible to enter. Students from around the U.S. submit drawings to their state, territory or district competitions. Winners from these competitions, called the “Best of Show,” are then submitted to the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest. One image from the 53 Best of Show entries will become the next Junior Duck Stamp. Entries for this year’s competition are due March 15.

Junior Duck Stamps are sold for $5 each by the U.S. Postal Service, Amplex Corporation and various National Wildlife Refuges. Proceeds from the sale of Junior Duck Stamps are returned to states for environmental and conservation education programs.

For rules and more information, go to www.fws.gov/juniorduck/ArtContest.htm.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched an award program aimed at recognizing outstanding environmental education teachers.

The Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators Program, which will be implemented through a partnership between the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and EPA, recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to environmental education and use the environment as a context for learning for their students.
Read the full story

The Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE) has issued a call for presenters for its 2011 conference, “Environmental Education: Everywhere for Everyone,” scheduled for Sept. 16-17 in Louisville.

KAEE represents teachers, government, industry, parents and students. Conference attendees are looking for environmental resources, field trip opportunities and innovative ideas for bringing environmental education to diverse audiences of all ages.

Click here for the Exhibitor Registration Form for details on how to become an exhibitor at this year’s conference. Those who prefer not to exhibit but would like to be a conference sponsor can go to http://www.kaee.org and click on “Conference” for more details.

Green Teacher’s 2011 webinar series, designed for both non-formal and formal youth educators, offers 30 free webinars on various environmental education topics this year. Nearly 800 non-formal and formal youth educators filled out our online survey and helped us choose the topics for these webinars. Each session will feature a 20-30 minute presentation and 30-40 minutes for questions.

For more information, visit the website or contact Tim Grant at (416) 960-1244.

The 2011 KY Biofuels for Schools Program is seeking Requests for Proposal (RFP) for grants available to all Kentucky high schools. The program seeks to identify and select those Kentucky high schools that successfully demonstrate the ability to design, implement and evaluate projects incorporating the following:

• increasing awareness and knowledge of biodiesel in the classroom and community
• encouraging teaching, production and use of biodiesel through a multidisciplinary approach
• increasing awareness and knowledge of pollution prevention and resource conservation principles through biodiesel curriculum
• encouraging participation in partner programs through the teaching and use of biodiesel in schools
• providing resources and services to schools that enable the long-term policies and planning for expanded use of biodiesel and monetary savings and financing of biodiesel projects Read the full story