EXECUTIVE MESSAGE

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is the season for gratitude.  All of us who are involved with Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) have so much for which to be grateful.  The curriculum, instructional philosophy, and commitment to excellence set ECS apart from other schools. Its focus on green education puts it at the forefront of social and ethical progress.   That’s why my child is a student at Environmental Charter's middle school.

As a parent, as a member of ECS' Board of Directors, and as someone who cares about improving education for more of our young people, I encourage you to support Environmental Charter Schools - our academic and social venture. Begin by attending the RETHINK:GREEN charity event this Saturday, November 6.

As you read below, you will learn how the dollars ECS has received from sponsors, donors, community members, families and partners are all hard at work - from making possible incredible outdoor learning programs to helping foster green schools nationally, and more.

The RETHINK:GREEN event will raise awareness and funds to support green education for teachers and students. Join us, and start “Thanksgiving” early!

Alma Coronado is a member of Environmental Charter Schools' Board of Directors.

TOP STORY

RETHINK:GREEN Celebrity Gala Event – You’re Invited - Saturday, November 6th

For ten years, Environmental Charter Schools has been changing the lives and futures of students from underserved populations in South Los Angeles, using a rigorous college-prep curriculum and extending hands-on learning into the community.

Join us the evening of November 6th at RETHINK:GREEN as we celebrate Environmental Charter Schools’ award-wining green curriculum program and help raise funds to launch our Green Ambassadors Institute nationwide in 2011.

Art Exhibition - Organic Tasting - Green Awards - Charity Gala benefiting Environmental Charter Schools and Green Ambassadors Institute

Emcees: Planet Green's Boise Thomas & Darren Moore

Ed Begley, Jr., Rachelle Carson Begley, Lisa Ling, Anna Getty, MTV's Buried Life crew, James Kyson Lee (Heroes), Ray Charles, Jr., Nia Peeples, Shanica Knowles (Hannah Montana), Kid Chocolate (Sugar Ray Leonard protege), Zack Silva (Terriers-FX Network), Shelby Young (The Social Network), Vail Bloom (The Young & The Restless), Tom Malloy (The Alphabet Killer), Jill-Michele Melean (Mad TV), Damon Elliot (producer-Pink, Christina A), The Banjo Boyz, Courtney Hansen (host of Spike TV’s Great Builds), Damian Chapa (director- Brando Unauthorized), Leyla Milani (Deal or No Deal), Carmen Perez (Nip/Tuck), Natasha Blasick (Hollywood Struggles), Patrick Kilpatrick (Minority Report) and more.

• Celebrating ten years of success at Environmental Charter Schools
• Green Ambassadors Award honoring ten environmental leaders
• Art Exhibition and Curated Silent Auction
• Sustainable/Organic Wine, Beverage and Food Tasting
• Intimate Performances by Rey Fresco, The Make Peace Brothers and guest D.J.s
• Saturday, November 6, 2010                     
  • 6:00pm Green Carpet Celebrity & VIP Arrivals
  • 7:00pm General Admission
  • 8:30pm Green Awards

Where:   Blackwelder LA - A Creative Indoor/Outdoor Adaptive Space in the Culver City Arts District | 3121 S. La Cienega Blvd. | Los Angeles, CA  90016 | Located at South/West corner of Blackwelder & La Cienega. Turn right into parking lot.

Tickets available at: http://rethinkgreenevent.eventbrite.com/

Contact: info@rethinkgreen.org | ph: (310) 351-1627 | www.rethinkgreenevent.org

GREEN AMBASSADORS

Environmental Charter Helps To Shape The National Green School Movement

The Green Charter Schools Network hosted its first Green Schools National Conference in Minneapolis last month. The event brought together nearly 1,000 educators, parents, policymakers, and builders who are part of the movement toward building a sustainable future, starting with education. 

Sara Laimon, Founder & Director of ECS’ Green Ambassadors and Lindsey Jurca, Green Ambassadors coordinator presented about the difference that a green school and curriculum can make for students and the community. They also inspired educators to get involved with the Green Ambassadors Institute.

ECS partners Cunningham Group and Shangri La Construction joined Laimon and Jurca to share about Environmental Charter High School's new sustainable science center, and generously underwrote ECS' travel expenses. The two companies designed and built the center for ECS earlier this year. If you have not yet seen our new science center, come take a student-led campus tour and check it out!

GREEN AMBASSADORS INSTITUTE COURSES

FOR EDUCATORS: GREEN YOUR SCHOOL

Learn how to implement hands-on environmental service learning that makes a difference for students and the community! Earn graduate and continuing education credits through UCLA Extension too.

Thanks to generous underwriting from The Boeing Company, The City of Los Angeles/Keep LA Beautiful program, and the Malibu Foundation, scholarships are available for teachers at Los Angeles-based schools.

Click here to learn more and register. Hurry! Classes start in December.

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Eco-Friendly Car Maker CODA Helps Green School Educate on Sustainable Technologies

By the time many of today’s youth receive their drivers’ licenses, the number of vehicles in the world will have grown from 700 million to over 1 billion. To meet this demand without causing drastic environmental and economic consequences, tomorrow’s generation of drivers must adopt new, efficient technology. ECS is teaming with CODA Automotive™ to power up students’ knowledge of these technologies and issues.

In CODA’s classroom, students will learn from experts in the field, including engineers and industry advocates, about cutting-edge electric vehicle technology that drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Students will also receive complimentary all-day passes to the LA Auto Show and an eco-friendly gift, courtesy of CODA Automotive.

The program is designed to give students an understanding of the harmful consequences of our dependence on oil, the history of electric vehicles, the mechanics of battery systems, and the role youth can play in the sustainable transportation movement.

“By weaving sustainability into its curriculum and activities beyond the classroom, Environmental Charter Schools is providing students with the resources and skills necessary to address the foremost challenge of our time,” says Kevin Czinger, President and CEO of CODA Automotive. “In this spirit, CODA will transform its booth at the LA Auto Show into a forum to educate children and teens on the importance of sustainability and environmental stewardship as it relates to transportation.”

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MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATE

Environmental Charter Middle School: Not Your Ordinary Harvest Festival

Middle school parents, students, and high school volunteers hosted crafts and games, but what set this Harvest Fair apart was the emphasis on reusable and natural materials.

Environmental Charter Middle School (ECMS) held its first Harvest & Safety Fair last month to introduce itself to community neighbors, who toured our classrooms and viewed student work, including 6th graders' remarkable Paleolithic Shelter Projects.

Participants planted five historic trees donated by IKEA, and had a pumpkin patch with pumpkins provided by Tanaka Farms.

“Our seed planting activity used toilet paper tubes as seed pots and we made candle lanterns out of old baby food jars,” explains Kari Cotler, ECMS Principal. “Our decorations were sustainable – instead of using balloons, our moms sewed cloth banners that we can use over and over. We created garlands from colorful fall leaves dipped in beeswax to preserve them.”

ECMS' approach integrates themes like nature and the environment into its innovative curriculum to engage students better and to promote learning.

INSPIRED STUDENTS

KCET-TV Internship Trains Student TV Producers

Thanks to a generous grant from The Boeing Company, ten Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) students participated in a summer internship at KCET-TV public television Los Angeles. They gained hands-on journalism, filmmaking, and video production skills, and produced results they can include on their resumes and in college applications.

The Student Producers first researched thematic elements of the project like localism, environmentalism, and sustainability, as well as the history of Compton. Then they worked in groups to acquire various multimedia production skills in photography, cinematography, sound recording and design, video editing, and interactive design.

ECS students Debbie Vickers, Mariela Bautista, and Angeles Urban produced a short documentary video focused on the Richland Farm community, a small agricultural pocket of Compton, California. In the video they discover and reveal a peaceful and closely-knit community of farmers and horse riders who work together to maintain the area’s unique vibrancy. The film's point of view is a departure from most mainstream media portrayals of Compton as a dangerous crime-ridden part of L.A. Watch the video here

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Outdoor Learning Makes Magic Happen

ECHS’ Outdoor Learning programs bring big returns but take extra funding. In these tough economic times, our students' families have pulled together and donated over $20,000 toward their $35,000 goal. So we are over half way to our goal before the middle of the academic year. But these programs need twice that amount to be sustained. Click here to help

Most have never camped under a star-filled night, never taken a deep breath of cool crisp air after climbing a mountain peak, never tasted the salty spray from a sailboat’s deck. When they do, it may change their lives. They discover new strengths, overcome fears, and develop a richer sense of themselves and their lives.

“You’re not going to find trips like this at any other high school,” says Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) student Jeremy Lara. “I’ve learned something good on every trip, and they have been very good life-changing experiences.” Freshman Keisha Brooks says her Catalina Island experience taught her a lot about marine animals and what we can do to protect the environment, but the deeper relationships she developed with her classmates through the experience were equally valuable.

Outdoor experiential learning is a core component of ECHS’ curriculum. This includes adventures, nature hikes, lab activities, and discussions. The individual and group-challenge activities are designed to encourage students to develop critical thinking, teamwork, self-confidence, leadership, analytical, and communications skills.

All grade levels at ECHS participate in the Experiential and Outdoor Learning Programs several times per school year. The 9th grade program takes the students to Catalina Island for snorkeling, nature hikes, and lab activities. In 11th grade, the students backpack in Big Bear and the Santa Monica Mountains, where they climb mountains, camp, and push their trust and endurance to new levels.