2010 Maryland Green School Awards – Another Record Breaking Year –
16% of all Maryland Schools are Certified Maryland Green Schools
On June 4th, 2010 at Sandy Point State Park, the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) will publicly recognize, honor, and certify the 12th cohort of Maryland Green Schools and Maryland Green Centers. Seventy-seven (77) schools and five
(5) centers this will be receiving the award for the first time; nineteen (19) schools will receive the award as a recertification after four or more years; and for the first time in the program’s history, four (4) schools, that have maintained their Maryland Green School Status for 16 years will be honored as Model Green Schools. “Interest and participation in the Maryland Green School Program has hit critical mass. With seventy-six newly certified schools in 2010, the percentage of certified Maryland Green Schools jumps from 10% to 16% of all Maryland schools (public and private). Such significant growth represents a true paradigm shift.” states MAEOE Executive Director, Bronwyn Mitchell.
The schools and centers receiving the 2010 Maryland Green School Award have created a culture of learning at the school and in their community. Using the Maryland Green School framework, which includes teacher training, curricular integration, student-led environmental best management projects, community engagement and celebration; these schools have figured out that "green" learning is more than just a few environmentally friendly projects. Ryan Pleune, the Maryland Green Schools coordinator who has worked in education for ten years explains: "What is clear to me about learning and student achievement is that students especially students who are struggling must feel an urgent need to learn something before they will go through the hard work of learning it. The Maryland Green Schools Program provides a map for schools and their stakeholders to develop a culture of learning that is compelling and creates a desire to learn.”
Why are so many Maryland Schools committing time and resources to becoming a certified Maryland Green School? Inquiry or project-based, hands-on learning, the platform upon which the Maryland Green School Program’s framework is built complements current brain research which shows that students need to feel safe; they have to feel accepted; and then they have to feel actively engaged and physically engaged, in order access the full capacity of their brain and develop higher order thinking skills. Maryland Green Schools are reporting that they:
• are healthier environments for learning
• stimulate the active pursuit of knowledge
• empower students
• increase school pride and the self-esteem of students and teachers
• improve scores on standardized tests
• encourage an active lifestyle - a building block for sustained health
For the complete list of this years winners please visit the MAEOE website - maeoe.org
Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Summer Professional Development Courses
This summer the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and our partners (NOAA, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Patuxent River Park and Anita C. Leight Estuary Center) are offering 2 summer professional development workshops that will focus on tools for incorporating estuarine science into the classroom.
Data and the Estuary, Western Shore. June 21-25
2 MSDE Credits
$200 Stipend Available (For Teachers that choose to not accept the credit)
and
Data and the Estuary, Eastern Shore. August 2-6
3 MSDE Credits
$ 200 Stipend Available (For Teachers that choose to not accept the credit)
This program is an opportunity for Middle and High School teachers to learn about teaching estuarine science in a hands-on way. The workshop will provide teachers with tools for helping students carry out scientific investigations, analyze data, and develop action projects that address the results of student investigations.
Please feel free to post or pass this information on to other educators.
See the attached fliers for more information, or feel free to email or call me.
We look forward to seeing you this summer.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
SCHOOL PROGRAM COORDINATOR, Virginia
Located amidst the farmland, spectacular marshes, bays, and dynamic coastline of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, The Marine Science Consortium is seeking a creative and talented educator to fill our School Program Coordinator position. This full-time, year-round position is a key part of our program leadership team and is responsible for the coordination and oversight of MSC’s busy and growing school program. This includes staff leadership, program development, day to day coordination, and serving as a member of the MSC Leadership Team.
Responsibilities also include marketing, budgeting, and administrative work as it relates to school programs and to the overall mission and goals of The Marine Science Consortium. The Marine Science Consortium is in a growth phase with the creation of a new campus as well as new program opportunities, offering the School Program Coordinator a chance to use his/her creativity and skill to craft an exciting new future for our program.
REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science, Environmental Education, Nature Interpretation, or closely related field and 2 years experience with residential environmental education and summer youth/adult programming. Experience with program development, administration and
marketing. Strong interpersonal and team building skills. Exceptional organizational and time management ability. Proven teaching and public speaking abilities. Should be able to demonstrate proficiency and understanding of trends and best practices within this profession.
Knowledge of the natural and cultural resources of the Mid-Atlantic coast desirable. First Aid and Water Safety training desired. Valid driver’s license required.
COMPENSATION:
Salary range $18,000 – 22,000 plus housing in our brand new, fully furnished, two bedroom staff apartments, full medical, and dental insurance.
To apply:
Please send a résumé along with a cover letter of interest highlighting your suitability for the job and listing at least three references.
Preferred Start Date: June 1st, 2010
Application Deadline: May 14th. Interviews begin immediately. Position opened until filled.
Please send application materials via email, standard mail, or fax to :
Programs Manager
The Marine Science Consortium
7278 Enterprise St
Wallops Island, VA 23337
Phone 757-824-5636
Fax 757-824-5637
progmanager@msconsortium.org
Responsibilities also include marketing, budgeting, and administrative work as it relates to school programs and to the overall mission and goals of The Marine Science Consortium. The Marine Science Consortium is in a growth phase with the creation of a new campus as well as new program opportunities, offering the School Program Coordinator a chance to use his/her creativity and skill to craft an exciting new future for our program.
REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science, Environmental Education, Nature Interpretation, or closely related field and 2 years experience with residential environmental education and summer youth/adult programming. Experience with program development, administration and
marketing. Strong interpersonal and team building skills. Exceptional organizational and time management ability. Proven teaching and public speaking abilities. Should be able to demonstrate proficiency and understanding of trends and best practices within this profession.
Knowledge of the natural and cultural resources of the Mid-Atlantic coast desirable. First Aid and Water Safety training desired. Valid driver’s license required.
COMPENSATION:
Salary range $18,000 – 22,000 plus housing in our brand new, fully furnished, two bedroom staff apartments, full medical, and dental insurance.
To apply:
Please send a résumé along with a cover letter of interest highlighting your suitability for the job and listing at least three references.
Preferred Start Date: June 1st, 2010
Application Deadline: May 14th. Interviews begin immediately. Position opened until filled.
Please send application materials via email, standard mail, or fax to :
Programs Manager
The Marine Science Consortium
7278 Enterprise St
Wallops Island, VA 23337
Phone 757-824-5636
Fax 757-824-5637
progmanager@msconsortium.org
Delaware teacher course with CBF this summer
Join us for a high-quality teacher professional development course this summer! This is a five-day overnight course that begins in Delaware and traces the Nanticoke River to the Chesapeake Bay. Teachers will spend days nights along the Nanticoke and spend three
days/two nights at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s island education center, Port Isobel. Teachers will gain an understanding of local history, culture, and ecology through one of the oldest forms of communication, the story. The trip is designed for teachers to have
hands-on experience exploring their local watershed, while learning how to implement a meaningful watershed experience in their own classrooms.
Dates for this course are August 2-6, 2010. The cost is $150 for the course (includes food, lodging, and all education materials and activities) and graduate credit is available from Catholic University.
Online registration is available at www.cbf.org/chesapeakeclassrooms
If you have questions or would like an electronic flyer to send to teachers, please contact Allyson Ladley Gibson at agibson@cbf.org.
days/two nights at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s island education center, Port Isobel. Teachers will gain an understanding of local history, culture, and ecology through one of the oldest forms of communication, the story. The trip is designed for teachers to have
hands-on experience exploring their local watershed, while learning how to implement a meaningful watershed experience in their own classrooms.
Dates for this course are August 2-6, 2010. The cost is $150 for the course (includes food, lodging, and all education materials and activities) and graduate credit is available from Catholic University.
Online registration is available at www.cbf.org/chesapeakeclassrooms
If you have questions or would like an electronic flyer to send to teachers, please contact Allyson Ladley Gibson at agibson@cbf.org.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Coastal Bays calls for citizen science volunteers Reptile, amphibian search May 15
The 10th Annual Great Worcester Herp Search will take place Saturday, May 15 when volunteers scour county lands for reptiles and amphibians.
Sponsored by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences (DLITE), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Salisbury University, volunteers can join us in the field for this citizen-science effort.
The search kicks off at 9 a.m. at the UMES Paul S. Sarbanes Coastal Ecology Center at Assateague. A brief pre-hunt training session will feature live turtles, snakes, frogs, and salamanders and explain ways to identify them in the wild. The training will prepare volunteers for searching four Worcester County sites in the morning and afternoon. Teams will disperse to various locations in Worcester County to locate, identify, and tally as many species and individual animals as possible during the course of the day. As citizen scientists, participants will learn from local experts who have extensive field experience, learn more about local wildlife, and have the chance to explore local habitats they have, likely, never visited. Adults and children are welcome.
Last year’s finds included black racers, worm snakes, ringneck snakes, and common watersnakes. Box and snapping turtles were found along with red-backed salamanders, five-lined skinks, ground skinks, and fence lizards. Frogs and toads included Fowlers toads and green, S. Leopard, and spring peepers. Calling Cope’s grey treefrogs were also part of the mix.
In Worcester, there are approximately 19 species of snakes, 15 species of frogs and toads, eight species of salamanders, 13 species of turtles and four species of lizards. Worcester County and the coastal bays watershed have more reptile species than any other county in Maryland. The search will provide data to help scientists better understand population trends in this declining group of vertebrates. No animals are harmed or removed from the wild during the search.
Participants should bring a sack lunch and drinks. A Salisbury University van will leave the Henson loading dock at the NE corner of the Henson bldg. on the campus at 8 a.m. Please email Dr. Ron Gutberlet at rlgutberlet@salisbury.edu if you would like to carpool. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Sunscreen, mosquito and tick repellant, and boots are a must.
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program has been helping to track herp species accounts for over nine years. With the help of volunteers and partners, 40 species and over 1,100 individual animals have been tallied in Worcester County since 2001.
To view photos and the results of last year’s search, visit Maryland Coastal Bays Program on Facebook.
For more information, please contact the Maryland Coastal Bays Program at 410-213-2297 or mcbp@mdcoastalbays.org.
Sponsored by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences (DLITE), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Salisbury University, volunteers can join us in the field for this citizen-science effort.
The search kicks off at 9 a.m. at the UMES Paul S. Sarbanes Coastal Ecology Center at Assateague. A brief pre-hunt training session will feature live turtles, snakes, frogs, and salamanders and explain ways to identify them in the wild. The training will prepare volunteers for searching four Worcester County sites in the morning and afternoon. Teams will disperse to various locations in Worcester County to locate, identify, and tally as many species and individual animals as possible during the course of the day. As citizen scientists, participants will learn from local experts who have extensive field experience, learn more about local wildlife, and have the chance to explore local habitats they have, likely, never visited. Adults and children are welcome.
Last year’s finds included black racers, worm snakes, ringneck snakes, and common watersnakes. Box and snapping turtles were found along with red-backed salamanders, five-lined skinks, ground skinks, and fence lizards. Frogs and toads included Fowlers toads and green, S. Leopard, and spring peepers. Calling Cope’s grey treefrogs were also part of the mix.
In Worcester, there are approximately 19 species of snakes, 15 species of frogs and toads, eight species of salamanders, 13 species of turtles and four species of lizards. Worcester County and the coastal bays watershed have more reptile species than any other county in Maryland. The search will provide data to help scientists better understand population trends in this declining group of vertebrates. No animals are harmed or removed from the wild during the search.
Participants should bring a sack lunch and drinks. A Salisbury University van will leave the Henson loading dock at the NE corner of the Henson bldg. on the campus at 8 a.m. Please email Dr. Ron Gutberlet at rlgutberlet@salisbury.edu if you would like to carpool. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Sunscreen, mosquito and tick repellant, and boots are a must.
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program has been helping to track herp species accounts for over nine years. With the help of volunteers and partners, 40 species and over 1,100 individual animals have been tallied in Worcester County since 2001.
To view photos and the results of last year’s search, visit Maryland Coastal Bays Program on Facebook.
For more information, please contact the Maryland Coastal Bays Program at 410-213-2297 or mcbp@mdcoastalbays.org.
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