NAAEE Helps Local Teachers and Students Create Positive Change in Their River Basin

Contact information:

 Sue Bumpous, NAAEE Communications Manager (202) 419-0413

Elizabeth Burke, North Carolina Publicity Coordinator (703) 839-0977

For immediate release:

(June 28, 2011 Washington D.C.) – Service-learning   along the Neuse River in NC is the focus of a community education project leading up to the North American Association for Environmental Education 40^th Anniversary conference on October 12-15, 2011.  Participating teachers received training in service-learning techniques developed by Earth Force, to guide student projects that will be presented to NAAEE conference participants from around the world for their expert feedback and guidance. 

Training held on May 7, near the end of the last school year, introduced nine elementary and middle school student-teacher teams to the semester-long Environmental Challenge on water issues. School teams did research at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center on the banks of Walnut Creek, a Neuse River tributary. Each school team will work with a community partner with water quality expertise, to research and develop their project and action initiatives. Beginning August 1, the student-teacher teams will plan the projects with the community partners. Students will present their projects in a “hands-on” session at the NAAEE conference in October, where conference participants will enjoy the outdoor setting at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center. NAAEE members will help students expand the ways they can be more actively engaged with their community.

Following the conference, student groups will continue their projects through November and December, using the Earth Force service-learning model to evaluate their process and outcomes. Final reports will be added to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center resource library for future use by other environmental educators. Students will tell their stories about what they learned in a community showcase in January 2012.

The NAAEE conference Registration Invitation is available on the home page of NAAEE’s Web site at www.naaee.net, in the lower left corner and at www.eenc.org. Early bird registration is open from now until August 11, 2011. After that date, registration rates increase for all categories: member and nonmember, full conference and daily rates.

NAAEE is a network of environmental educators who infuse communities with high-quality teaching methods to show the positive ways that people can bring about solutions to environmental challenges. Local host EE of North Carolina (EENC) promotes excellence in professional development and facilitates networking opportunities, inspiring educators to create an environmentally literate citizenry. www.eenc.org