The Mojave Environmental Education Consortium continues to grow and expand its teacher outreach efforts throughout the High Desert. This year, continued growth has ensued through a series of teacher workshops, environmental curriculum development and review, expansion of our EE Resource Libraries in Antelope Valley and Victorville, mini-grants for classroom EE projects, field trip grants, and a multitude of other EE related projects. These efforts have been accomplished through the support of MEEC’s stakeholders and educators alike.

In 2012, MEEC is proud to sponsor its seventh MEEC “Student of the Year” Awards. Each Student of the Year recipient will receive $60.00 in cash, as well as a $60.00 Staples gift card. The awards banquet will be held on May 10, 2012 at 6 PM at the Spring Valley Lake Country Club in Victorville, California.

To this end, we are soliciting one Student of the Year nomination from each school site. The nomination can come from either a principal or teacher. When selecting the student nominee, the nominator must take into consideration the work that the student has done in leadership toward environmental issues and stewardship. The following stipulations will serve as a guide for assisting you in the nomination process:
 The student will be nominated by a teacher or principal from his/her school.
 The student nominee must have spent a minimum of 12 hours in conservation and environmental education activities.
 The student has educated peer students, school employees or community in environmental issues or conservation.
 The student must have above average academic standing (>2.0 GPA for secondary, and the equivalent for primary grades).
 The student must display leadership qualities, possess good character and a good reputation among peers, and not be a disciplinary problem.

Please take the time to complete the Student-Of-The-Year-Nomination-Form and mail your submission to MEEC, 14306 Park Ave., Victorville, CA 92392. Forms may also be faxed to (760) 241-6271 or emailed to christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov. Deadline for entries April 6, 2012

The Mojave Environmental Education Consortium continues to grow and expand its teacher outreach efforts throughout the High Desert. This year, continued growth has ensued through a series of teacher workshops, environmental curriculum development and review, expansion of our EE Resource Libraries in Antelope Valley and Victorville, mini-grants for classroom EE projects, field trip grants, and a multitude of other EE related projects. These efforts have been accomplished through the support of MEEC’s stakeholders and educators alike.

In 2012, MEEC is proud to sponsor its seventh MEEC “Teacher of the Year” Awards. Three winners will be selected to receive this prestigious honor; one first place winner, who will receive $300 in cash and a plaque, and two MEEC “Teachers of Excellence” recipients, who will each receive $100 in cash and plaques. This year’s awards banquet will be held on May 10, 2012 at 6 PM at the beautiful Spring Valley Lake Country Club in Victorville, California.

To this end, we are soliciting your Principal’s nomination of the educator from your school that you feel would be most worthy of this prestigious recognition. We are looking for an educator who makes continuous and enduring contributions to environmental education, demonstrates capacity for creating and implementing successful environmental activities, shows creative approaches, promotes individual and societal environmental responsibility, and encourages youth to make informed decisions about environmental issues.

Please take the time to formulate a brief letter describing your nominee and his/her contributions to environmental education and have your principal sign the letter. Please mail your submission to MEEC, 14306 Park Ave, Victorville, CA 92392. Letters may also be faxed to (760) 241-6271 or emailed to christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov. Deadline for entries is April 6, 2012.

MEEC’s boundaries consist of the High Desert portion of San Bernardino County, the Palo Verde Valley of Riverside County and the High Desert region of North Los Angeles County, including the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale.

Scholarship(s) will be awarded to five qualifying graduating high school senior(s) in the amount of $1,000.00 each. Recipient must attend a high school located within MEEC’s boundaries as described above. Eligible students must declare a major in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, or other closely related Science or Engineering field.

The mission of the Mojave Environmental Education Consortium (MEEC) is to improve the environmental literacy of students, teachers and Mojave Desert communities by actively providing quality educational resources. MEEC was founded in 2001 and is the High Desert zone of the California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network, a project of the California Department of Education.
Application Requirements
Applicants are required to provide the following:
1. A completed application form (attached)
2. Transcripts and SAT/ACT scores (unofficial copies accepted)
3. 500 word personal essay on – “My Career Goals and Why I would like a Career in the Environment, Science, or Engineering field ”
4. Application packages must be received no later than 5 PM, on April 6, 2012. Applicant packet may be mailed or dropped off at: MEEC-ATTN: Scholarship Committee, 14306 Park Ave, Victorville, CA 92392

Click Environmental Science High School Scholarship Announcement to download an application. For more information, please contact Violette Roberts, MEEC Executive Chair at (760) 245-1661 ext 6104 or email: vroberts@mdaqmd.ca.gov

For more information about how to celebrate and to help children in Grades 3-5 participate in a poster contest, check this website “Arbor Week Poster Contest”.

MEEC, the Mojave Desert AQMD, and the Mojave Desert Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association invite your school to participate in the 2012 “Outstanding Environmental Science Project Awards” Program. The program recognizes outstanding environmentally-themed science projects entered in local science fairs.

The program is open to students in grades K-12. Winners of school-level competitions will receive $50 Savings Bonds, while winners of District, Regional and higher level science fairs will be awarded $100 Savings Bonds. One winner per event will be selected by our judge, who will come to your school science fair. Only 20 schools will be selected for participation, on a first come, first served basis. Applications for participation must be received by February 28, 2012.

For more information about how your school can participate, please call Violette Roberts, MEEC Executive Chair at: (760) 245-1661 ext 6104.

STEM Service Learning is increasing the number of youth choosing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields, with a focus on women and minorities who are often under represented.

Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Service learning can be applied in a wide variety of settings, and can involve a group of students, a classroom or an entire school. Students build character and become active participants as they work with others in their school and community to create service projects in areas such as education, public safety, and the environment. Students design and implement projects to meet a wide variety of school and community needs in areas such as energy, health, water quality, the environment, campus improvement and peer mentoring.

Using the service learning instructional method, STEM SL content and concepts are introduced in a nontraditional setting and thereby increasing the relevance to the student’s experience, which has been shown to significantly increase academic engagement. The focus of student development is to improve the academic engagement and retention of both secondary and higher education students and better engage participants in the civic lives of their community. As students solve critical issues in their community, they understand that they do have a voice in their democracy and learn how they can take a leadership role in their community.

To learn more about STEM or find topics and ideas for your student STEM Service Learning projects, “STEM Service Learning” or for a flyer 2011 STEM Wkshop flyer_clr

MEEC is now providing up to $250.00 to students who wish to start a school environmental club. One-time award per school. Certain exceptions may apply. This remains one of MEEC’s long term goals to see environmental clubs established on every campus throughout the High Desert. Limited funds available.

To apply for grant funds, applicants should compose a brief letter containing the following information: The name of the club; the club’s mission statement; a brief description of an environmental project the club is considering undertaking or already has in place; a list of club officers and members (clubs must have at least three [3] student members) along with their contact information; club advisor’s name and contact information (mailing address & phone number). Special considerations are given to clubs with members who have previously attended MEEC’s Annual Youth Environmental Leadership Conference.

Send request letters to: MEEC ATTN: C.Wray, 14306 Park Avenue, Victorville, CA. 92392. Letters may also be faxed to (760) 241-6271. For more information, call (760) 245-1661 ext. 6717 or email: cwray@mdaqmd.ca.gov .

Sponsored by Keep California Beautiful, the competition is open to all schools and classrooms and districts. Registration for the recycling competition and benchmarking program is now open on the California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge website: “Green Schools”. The competition will be conducted on a “Per Capita” basis to allow schools/districts of all sizes to participate. Participating classrooms, schools or districts will track and report how much recyclable material they collect for a chance to win prizes. The program is intended to include the faculty, staff, students, and custodial staff. The competition will be conducted four weeks during the months of October and November and competitors are encouraged to support recycling events in conjunction with America Recycles Day, November 15th.

As a new feature for the 2011 California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge, any school that enters the competition and submits data in the California competition website will be automatically entered in “Recycle-Bowl,” the first comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary, middle and high-school students sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.

There will be no need to enter the competition twice! The school in each state that collects the most recyclable material per capita will win $1,000. A national champion will then be chosen from among the statewide winners to receive an additional grand prize of $2,500. More information on Recycle-Bowl can be found at “Recycle Bowl”