(07/17/2015) ATLANTA - On Friday, July 17, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, in conjunction with the E.P.A. (EPA), will recognize the winners and honorable mentions for the yearly Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). Twenty-seven teachers from across the country, including 2 from the State of Georgia, will be recognized at a ceremony at the White House for outstanding contributions to environmental education and stewardship.
The event will be live streamed at https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/white-house-environmental-student-and-teacher-awards. Forty-four student winners of the yearly President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) will also be recognized during the ceremony.
In addition, E.P.A. and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) will declare the winner of NEEF's 2015 Bartlett Award. The Bartlett Award is given to an outstanding PIAEE winner for demonstrating creative integration of environmental education across subject areas, engaging others in interdisciplinary solutions to environmental challenges, and increasing student achievement within and beyond the classroom.
"To solve our future environmental challenges, young people need to understand the science behind the natural world --- and create a personal connection to the outdoors," said E.P.A. Administrator Gina McCarthy. "These teachers and students are demonstrating the important role of environmental education, and showing how individual actions can help address climate change, protect the air we breathe, and safeguard the water we drink."
The PIAEE awards are given to environmental educators who use innovative, hands-on, experiential approaches. Winning teachers led unique programs such as conserving nearby aquatic ecosystems, building a hydrogen fuel-cell powered Model T car, and developing outdoor labs and classrooms. 4 teachers from the State of Georgia will be acknowledged this year. Among the winners will be Robert Hodgdon from Richmond Hill Middle School in Savannah, Georgia and Jenna Mobley from Springdale Park Elementary in Atlanta, GA. Kathleen King, from General Ray Davis Middle School in Stockbridge, GA, and Carrie Settles from Brookwood High School in Lawrenceville, GA, will gain honorable mention recognition.
PIAEE Winners:
· Ross McCurdy, North Scituate, Rhode Island
· Minnuette Rodríguez, San Juan, Puerto Rico
· Sven Strnad, Plainsboro, New Jersey
· Liam McGranaghan, Purcellville, Virginia
· Anne Moore, Goochland, Virginia
· Robert Hodgdon, Richmond Hill, Georgia
· Jenna Mobley, Atlanta, Georgia
· Lisa Bircher, East Palestine, Ohio
· Jolie Hobbs, Van Buren, Arkansas
· Michael Hotz, Kansas City, Kansas
· Sara Forness, West Fargo, North Dakota
· Sarah Lord, Billings, Montana
· James Powell, Atherton, California
· Ryan Monger, Sultan, Washington
· Robert Shepard, Edmonds, Washington
PIAEE Honorable Mentions:
· Morgan Cuthbert, Yarmouth, Maine
· Kim Preshoff, Williamsville, New York
· Jessica McAtamney, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
· Kevin Willis, Carmichaels, Pennsylvania
· Kathleen King, Stockbridge, Georgia
· Carrie Settles, Lawrenceville, Georgia
· Joseph Brady, New Philadelphia, Ohio
· Lesley Zylstra, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
· Josh Armstrong, Flagstaff, Arizona
· Jackie Lacey, San Bernadino, California
· Barbara Bromley, Silverdale, Washington
· Sarah Gotschall, JBER, Alaska
Today, E.P.A. is also announcing a new interagency arrangement with the U.S.F.W.S. to support both research and on-the-ground work that will help foster the student-nature connection through environmental education, stewardship and conservation. The arrangement will help advance the Hands On the Land (HOL) program, a national network of partnerships between federal agencies and local schools that creates opportunities for students to learn in America's biggest classrooms - national parks, wildlife refuges, monuments, and other federally-owned public lands. Formed in 1999, HOL now has in excess of 150 partnerships around the country. This arrangement will support development of 20 new school partnerships. The arrangement will also support environmental education research, including a review of citizen science and experiential outdoor youth education programs. This research effort will seek to enhance the understanding and recognition of the role of environmental education in achieving environmental and conservation goals, helping students develop lifelong learning skills, and fostering a greater sense of respect and responsibility for the environment among communities.
For information on environmental education at EPA, visit www2.epa.gov/education.
For details on the new PEYA winners, visit
http://www2.epa.gov/education/presidents-environmental-youth-award-peya-winners.
For details on the new PIAEE winners, visit
http://www2.epa.gov/education/presidential-innovation-award-environmental-educators-piaee-winners.
For details on the Bartlett award winners, visit
http://www.neefusa.org/bartlettaward.htm.
For information on Hands on the Land, visit
www.handsontheland.org.
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