First Nostrand’s project was up against other strong competition that year but the judging committee could not overlook how unique the project sounded. The plans called for construction materials made up of waste rubber – old tires found during watershed and neighborhood clean up efforts and recycled construction materials.
In November 2002, Nostrand received her GreenWorks! grant award. It seemed as though the biggest hurdle had passed. Her school had given her the green light before she submitted the grant request. The students and volunteers were ready.
The project was to kick off in January 2003 with planning and design,. It was to be completed in late spring with, of course, the cooperation of the weather.
Before breaking ground, Nostrand realized that additional funding was needed to complete the project. She applied for and received funds from an environmental organization and skateboarding associations. However, this was just the beginning of three year’s worth of hurdles.
Finally in late Spring 2003, Nostrand had enough money in the bank to break ground and get started. STOP everything! Her school administrators had changed their minds. The skateboarding park could not be built on school grounds. Now, Nostrand and her students had to find another site to build the skate park. In a city of high rises, nationally owned land, protective communities, and traffic woes, finding another site proposed a challenge. Also, skating is technically illegal on D.C. streets and in most city parks (Washington City Paper, 2004).
Enter the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. They had the space and they had an audience that understands the popularity of this recreational sport. Finding just the right space posed another hurdle. After the department rejected two proposed sites, Nostrand received her second green light to begin construction at Langdon Park in the northeast section of the city. The inspiration for the Langdon bowl came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s legendary skate park, FDR.
Finally, Nostrand had the go-ahead for the site, her students were ready to get started, and the volunteers were lined up and ready. Now it was time to start writing checks. But where’s the money?
Stay tuned for part two of PLT in Action in the next issue of The Cornerstone.
PLT's 19th International Coordinators' Conference, June 8–12, 2005
Oregon is the place to be on June 8-12, 2005 for PLT’s 19th International Coordinators’ Conference. More than 100 PLT Coordinators will gather for this four day experience filled with learning and sharing experiences; discussions about trends in environmental education; and networking opportunities.
Conference Keynote Speaker
Susan Castillo, Oregon’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is a featured keynote speaker at the Conference on Thursday, June 9, 2005 at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon. As superintendent, Castillo oversees more than 500,000 students (K-12) in over 1,000 schools. Sworn into office in January 2003, Castillo has focused her term toward building a solid and sustainable program for funding schools, closing the achievement gap between students, and improving efficiency at the Department of Education.
Thursday events feature the PLT Outstanding Educators Luncheon sponsored by a generous grant from MeadWestvaco. This year’s awardees: Mary Cutler, a naturalist with the Tippencanoe County Parks & Recreation from West Lafayette, Indiana; Linda Desai, education director & co-founder of Placer Nature Center from Auburn, California; Peggy Herbert, 4th grade teacher at Henniker Community School in Henniker, New Hampshire; and Larry Kowalski, science specialist at Midway Elementary School in Anderson, South Carolina. Congratulations to these five outstanding environmental educators.
Mary Cutler is the naturalist at Tippecanoe County Parks and Recreation in West Lafayette, Ind. Not far into her career Mary, and other staff members, worked toward the eventual opening of the community’s nature center. Today, Mary oversees the county’s two nature centers, supervises a volunteer staff of 75 docents, and designs the centers’ exhibits. Mary also works one-on-one with teachers in Indiana to develop well-balanced and appropriate supplemental EE programs on an individual basis. She also works with superintendents, principals, and curriculum coordinators to help them understand the benefits of environmental education and its place within the curriculum.
Linda Desai is the education director and co-founder of the Place Nature Center (PNC) in Auburn, Calif. In this capacity, she develops all types of environmental education programs for preschool through high school students. While working at the nature center, conducting PLT workshops, and raising her family, Linda has not stopped finding new ways to share her love of the environment. Over the years she has developed California PLT’s first six-hour energy education workshop, taken the lead in the PNC’s involvement with an interactive environmental awareness activity, the Nature Bowl, and developed the Watershed Learning Center.
Peggy Herbert is a fourth grade teacher at Henniker Community School in Henniker, N.H. She has been involved in environmental education throughout her teaching career. Environmental activities and concepts are woven throughout all topics in Peggy’s curriculum. She also finds ways to incorporate her commitment to studying the local environment. In fact, she incorporates a yearlong unit on New Hampshire history and a study of forestry in the state, using PLT each year.
Larry Kowalski is a science specialist teaching third, fourth, and fifth grade students at Midway Elementary School in Anderson, S.C. He retired from teaching in 2000 but was asked to stay as a science specialist when his old school closed and the new school, Midway Elementary, was just opening its doors. When asked, he accepted. In his current position he has the opportunity to teach many PLT activities through both classroom activities and extracurricular events. He takes students on field studies, created an environmental club and a Saturday science club, and in the classroom he leads students on school improvement projects, planting activities, and recycling programs to name just a few.
Leon Mays is a classroom educator at A.D. Harris High School, a dropout prevention school in Panama City, Florida. Having his students take an active role in beautifying their school grounds turned into an award-winning project. They reseeded the grass and planted native plants donated by a local nursery. He then worked to earn a grant for the materials to put together a “meditation” garden. The students completed this garden with a fish pond and three pagodas. After receiving the school district award for ground beautification, Leon and his students were asked to meet with a local company to look into developing an outdoor classroom. The outdoor classroom is now used by local schools around the community.
These five outstanding educators exemplify the criteria of the award: exceptional teaching skills, commitment to the PLT curriculum, exemplary use of environmental education (EE) in the classroom, and sustained use of PLT. They represent the diversity that is one of the strengths of PLT: they work in different parts of the country, in rural and urban communities, and with all ages of learners.
"While our award winners are quick to thank others for supporting them in their endeavors, they are the ones who have rolled up their sleeves and dedicated themselves to providing quality environmental education for their students," Kathy McGlauflin, Senior Vice President of Education at the American Forest Foundation said. "They truly deserve this recognition."
PLT Activity Featured in Textbook
The PLT activity, Water Wonders, is featured in Dr. Ralph Martin’s book, Teaching Science for All Children: An Inquiry Approach. Martin is a professor in the College of Education at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The fourth edition of this popular text emphasizes learning science through inquiry, while maintaining an emphasis on the NSE standards, constructivism, technology, and the author’s popular 4E Learning Cycle. This fourth edition is also combined with a CD-ROM.
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