AEE eNews Update August 2009
- 37th Annual AEE International Conference Announcement
- AEE BOD Election Results
- AEE Council on Regional Chairs
- AEE Intern Mandy Casteel-Denney
- Accredtited Member Profile - Pathfinder Outdoor Education - Michelle Flint
- AEE Profile - Sarah Shatz
- The Outdoor Foundation
- Journal of Experiential Education Call for Papers
- No Child Left Inside
- ACA Call for Papers
- S&C
- WPG
- EBTD
- National Competition to Advance School Reform
- AEE and Outdoored.com
- New and Renewing Members
Vive L'Experience! Join us in Montreal!
There are only 2 more weeks to register for the 37th Annual International Conference at the Early-Bird Rate.
AEE Conferences help to fuel my passion for teaching because I learn innovative and exciting teaching techniques.
- Tom Potter, Lakehead University
My first conference was in 1977. Since then AEE has been a constant source of energy, information, support, professional opportunity, and an awesome network of friends and colleagues. It is my yearly fix!
- Jude Hirsch, Professor and Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Georgia College & State University and a proud Canadian
Professor Mario Bilodeau lives life large, having climbed some of the world's tallest peaks, including Everest—twice! He also believes in the healing powers of Mother Nature, organizing expeditions for youth with cancer. Learn more about Bilodeau, one of this year’s Conference Keynote Speakers.
List of Workshops
Schedule
AEE Board of Director Election Resutls
Thank you to everyone who took time to vote in the AEE Board of Directors election. The following members will begin serving in November 2009.
Treasurer-Elect - 4-year term
Paul Shirilla, Asst. Professor, University of Wisconsin- River Falls
Group Leadership Council - 3-year term
Laura Levings, Consultant, Seattle, Washington
Read more about the AEE Board of Directors
For more information about the AEE Accreditation program, please contact Accreditation Manager Shawn Tierney at (303)
440-8844 x16 or accreditation@aee.org
AEE and Outdoored.com
OutdoorEd.com continues to bring you the best content to support your program. A single lawsuit can destroy a program’s reputation or cripple its operation so it’s essential that organizations understand the latest changes in the law that impact outdoor and adventure-based programs. Each month the Adventure & Recreation Law Center at OutdoorEd.com brings you cutting edge legal analysis of hand-picked case law studies from our legal authorities, Reb Gregg and Catherine Hansen-Stamp, to educate you on the newest trends and issues that may affect your program.
AEE members receive a 20% discount.
Discount
Coupon Code EE-EMG94.
Thanks for using OutdoorEd.com
Rick Curtis
OutdoorEd.com
The Professional's Resource
http://www.outdoored.com
http://www.outdoorsafety.org
AEE Intern Mandy Casteel-Denney
Her wanderlust and affinity for people and nature have taken her throughout this great country of ours. “I worked for a year in Dexter, Maine, at the Options Program, after which I moved to San Francisco, where I explored every part of that glorious city. Next I worked in Southern California for the Arrowhead Kids Science Camp as a naturalist. I enjoyed the job immensely, and believe that every child should have the chance to experience learning in nature.”
She met her husband while in Southern California and relocated with him to Colorado a few years ago. They enjoy hiking, biking and exploring as many new places as they can with their energetic 3- year-old son and hyperactive 2-year-old Aussie-mix named Gulliver. “At his time,” says Mandy, I am searching for a job that will excite and challenge me, and make a difference.” We have no doubt she’ll find one, but in the meanwhile we’re grateful that she’s making time to volunteer with AEE.
Sincerely,
Mandy Casteel-Denney
AEE Volunteer
AEE
Schools & Colleges Directory
Outdoor Foundation Seeking Youth Advisors: The Outsiders
Outdoor Foundation, one of the nation’s leading nonprofits working to connect youth with the outdoors, is joining with partners (including AEE) to build a first-of-its-kind youth council and community, called The Outsiders, to help create and shape youth-related outdoor programs. Through this effort, The Foundation will empower young people to use its collective voice to inform not only The Foundation’s work but also to help direct the broader outdoor agenda – adding a unique and needed perspective. Perhaps of most interest to youth and youth educators, The Outsiders will have the chance to earn coveted outdoor-related internships as well as cool gear from top outdoor companies such as Under Armour and The North Face.
The group’s first major project will be to shape the 2010 ‘Outdoor Nation’ – a global festival and summit in New York City’s Central Park that is for youth by youth. The Outsiders will be asked to spend a few hours each month providing feedback and guidance, primarily through a customized online platform. The Foundation hopes that this site will not only serve to shape national outdoor policies but also enable young people with similar outdoor interests to connect with one another and create a new community. Any and all young people ages 13 – 24 with an interest in the outdoors are welcome.
If you are an educator and have questions, please contact Christine Fanning at cfanning@outdoorfoundation.org. Interested youth should send an email to youthadvisors@outdoorfoundation.org and share in a few sentences why they would like to be an Outsider. The deadline for the founding Outsiders is August 15, 2008. Later this summer, The Outdoor Foundation will officially welcome the advisory council, which will begin to shape Outdoor Nation and other exciting projects.
AEE Accredited Program Profile - Pathfinder Outdoor Education, Inc .
By Kirsten Kindt, Interviewing Michelle Flint , Assistant/Program Director, Pathfinder Outdoor Education, Inc.
Kirsten Kindt: Pathfinder is an AEE accredited program. How has accreditation affected Pathfinder?
Michelle Flint: Pathfinder became accredited in 1998 and we have maintained accreditation status since then. AEE Accreditation has been invaluable for us because it keeps us from becoming isolated down here in Florida. It also informed our organizational development at a time when we were getting established and experiencing rapid growth, and again when we experienced a change in leadership. The AEE accreditation program provides the “tough love” that we occasionally might need when reviewers provide feedback. I recommend the accreditation process for any organization; I believe it will help you to realize your potential in an accelerated way.
A secondary benefit of AEE accreditation is that it helps me to alleviate the concerns of the occasional nervous parent or potential client. We are able to say with confidence that we meet or exceed the safety standards set for our industry. For people who don’t already know us by reputation, this is a selling point.
KK: Whom do you serve?
MF: Historically, our market niche has been schools from all over Florida – about 120 schools per year; corporate and community groups, family reunions, and other special-interest groups. The schools and their students run the gamut – preparatory schools, military academies, faith-based schools, Montessori schools, schools for children with special needs, and some public school groups. Groups may be as small as 8 or large as 150. Typically, a school brings their entire grade or the whole school, and this enters in to the conversation about building community – you’re all here, so what kind of grade or school would you like to create? The common denominator is that almost all our clients have paid their own way, somehow. This is advantageous because it allows Pathfinder to innovate constantly and to adapt to the expressed needs of each group. There is no grant that we’re replicating or funders to convince. That said, we are writing grants to be able to extend our program to youth or families who might otherwise not be able to afford it, and we’d like to do more of this. We’ve just begun a quantitative program evaluation, and we hope that the results from this will support our grant writing. Stay tuned.
KK: What does a typical pathfinder program look like?
MF: Students typically come for 2-3 days, stay in cabins at night, and engage in campus-based programming. On the first morning, pretty much everybody starts with Incredible Journey: we facilitate initiatives and introduce various tools that will help groups to make the most of their Pathfinder experience and beyond. This typically includes the dialog circle (Ready Circle), the talking stick (One Hand One Voice), consensus thumbs, group agreements, the usual reflection to increase awareness of self and group, and goal setting for the rest of the trip.
One of the things that makes Pathfinder unique is the breadth of our programming. We emphasize community development in all that we do - from ropes courses to outdoor living skills and environmental education, to communication and leadership workshops that’s we’ve developed ourselves. We offer roughly 40 classes and clients mix and match those, for ages 10-adult. One advantage of this is that we sometimes serve two or three grades from the same school, offering sequenced programming for each. We also offer some faculty trainings, as well as “family nights” that include multi-generational activities. As you can imagine, offering this many programs is both a blessing and a challenge!
However, our mission is community building and offering this variety is one way we approach this.
KK: What are some of the classes you’ve developed yourselves?
MF: For upper elementary and middle school groups, two extremely popular classes are the Underground Railroad and Florida Country. We inherited both from the YMCA Storer camps in Michigan, and have made them our own. The Underground Railroad is a reenactment that almost every school in this age range chooses. In addition to the classroom enrichment, is drives home its central point - that overcoming injustice is dependent on group work - in an emotionally powerful way. No one abolitionist or escaped slave is successful individually. It takes a network of committed individuals.
Florida Country is a simulation of the Florida frontier life and the interdependence required to thrive in a frontier environment. The students have tasks to complete to succeed and thrive as Pioneer “families.” At the same time we send out their teachers to act as characters selling them things they don’t need and otherwise tempting them to part with their plan. In addition to teamwork, Florida Country also helps youth to lean about choice-making and how to distinguish wise choices from unwise ones. It’s always been popular, yet it seems to be more relevant than ever in today’s youth-driven marketing.
A meal time activity we’ve developed is Certificates of Appreciation. At end of each meal we present 5 or 6 certificates that tell the story of something a person did that illuminates their best character. Everyone gets one and the kids nominate each other. It is not about being “best this” or “fastest that” but instead it is about each student’s character and about being publicly recognized for that. The message is that everyone in the community contributes in a positive way – we just need to see it.
KK: You’ve been with Pathfinder for over ten years. What’s one thing that’s kept you there?
MF: I’m here for many reasons, but one aspect that makes it fulfilling is the amazing staff we have at Pathfinder. We cultivate a professional staff who are passionate about what we do and who generally stay longer than the industry average (which is 18 months). I believe this is due to several factors – the long Florida “season;” the decent pay and benefits; the continuous paid training and professional development. But more importantly, we strive to cultivate the culture of the learning environment: staff are encouraged to continuously mentor each other and learn from each other.
We are constantly asking ourselves, “How could this be better?” and staff ideas are often incorporated into the program’s evolution. I believe staff know that they matter, and that they have an impact, and that we strive to walk the talk. I think this shows in their commitment to the organization and to the excitement they bring to their work.
Every time I think about this I am filled with gratitude for this special group.
KK: What do you personally value about AEE and experiential education?
MF: AEE is a place I call home. It is very important to me because it is where I find support for my instincts about what education should be. Long before I found AEE, I was interested in progressive education and went to an alternative college. While earning my Masters in Education, I stumbled upon Pathfinder, the phrase “experiential education” and AEE; this was a crucial juncture in my life. Experiential education is the most authentic learning. It involves all intelligences and learning styles with the heart, the mind and the soul. In its deepest sense, experiential education is about the whole person in context of the whole world.
AEE Profile - Sarah Shatz
There is no stopping Sarah Schatz.
“I am a social worker, I am a wood worker, I am interested in process and the communication and have somehow found a way to make all these pieces fit together. Because I am happy with all these pieces, I am motivated to take my skills back to the community to do more service work.”
There are many different pieces to Sarah’s work world. Sarah currently works for a local woodworking company in Madison, WI. http://www.carleywood.com/ She also works with mono-lingual Spanish language families doing in-home family therapy. And, last but not least, she is currently working with Women in the Trades http://matcmadison.edu/matc/offerings/apprenticeships/trades.shtm . On a volunteer level Sarah is a beginner beekeeper and is currently being taught by 5 five beehives and working with a beekeeping intern in collaboration with Troy Community Farm. http://www.troygardens.org/
Sarah Shatz joined AEE in 1994 after working at a Girl Scout camp in West Michigan. Luckily for her, the director of the camp pointed her to a job on “Jobs Clearinghouse”. The director said “I think you might like the people in this organization, take a look at this”. and this is where her journey with AEE began.She went to work for Brush Ranch School, a residential school for students with learning disabilities and this sparked
her interest in continuing her own education using experiential methodologies. She decided to go back to school and get her masters in social work from the University of Michigan. There she met Tony Alvarez and Gary Stauffer and worked with them in South East Michigan during and after her graduate school years. Sarah met Laurie Frank at a Women in Experiential Education conference and became excited about working in Guatemala for Play for Peace. http://www.playforpeace.org/
Six months turned into t two years t in Guatemala learning Spanish, working with Play for Peace and with a local language school. http://www.hermandad.com/ Sarah returned to the United States excited about immigrant rights and started a Workers’ Rights Center in Madison, Wisconsin with a local non-profit. http://www.workerjustice.org/
Sarah is motivated to do experiential work because she gets to learn from the process just as much as the participants. Working with groups varying from homeshcool students interested in beekeeping, to monolingual Spanish speakers, to women making a career change into the building trades makes for an “infinitely interesting and rich life”.
The greatest benefit Sarah has received from AEE are the introductions to mentors. She has met amazing practitioners that are very generous with their talents, skills and time.
Journal of
Experiential Education Call for Papers!
Special
Issue on Youth Development Through Outdoor and Adventure Education Programs
Principles of Positive Youth Development have long been imbedded in outdoor and adventure education programs and youth-focused articles are regularly included in the Journal of Experiential Education. However, the intent of this special issue is to condense the current understanding of youth development through outdoor and adventure programs and to provide a focused compilation of articles that can provide a foundation for continued work in this area.
Jim Sibthorp, Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah, is the Guest Editor for this issue. Inquiries and submissions should be sent directly to jim.sibthorp@health.utah.edu in Microsoft Word. Submissions should be consistent with the Journal of Experiential Education’s Instructions to Authors included at the rear of this issue or available online at http://jee.lakeheadu.ca. All submissions will be peer-reviewed and accepted articles will be published in 2010.
Submission Deadline: September 1, 2009
For more information, please see the Volume 31, Edition 3 of the Journal of Experiential Education.
American Camp Association Call for Research Presentations
From M. Deborah Bialeschki, Ph.D., irector of Research, American Camp Association
Please see below the call for research presentations to be given at the 2010 Camp Research Symposium during the ACA National Conference (Feb. 16-19 in Denver, CO). The call also has information about the Marge Scanlin Outstanding Student Research Award. Please encourage any of your students involved with camp and/or youth research to submit a proposal that can be considered for this award. We welcome a wide range of topics so please consider submitting before the Sept. 30th deadline.
The direct link to the online submission process is:
http://www.acacamps.org/cfp/research/ Please share this call with any other interested colleagues or circulate on lists that you feel might match with this interest.
The call for education sessions for this conference is also open. More information about that submission process can be found at:
http://www.acacamps.org/cfp/ As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Jeff Jacobs (Symposium coordinator), jacobs@calpoly.edu.
2010 Camp Research Symposium Sponsored by the American Camp Association
Research Call for Presentations
(Call for Proposals closes on September 30th, 2009)
The American Camp Association invites researchers to present results of camp-related studies at a Symposium to be held during the Association's 2010 National Conference at the Hyatt Regency at the Denver Convention Center, Denver, Colorado: http://www.acacamps.org/conference/ This year's conference celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the American Camp Association and the theme is “Because of Camp…”, which highlights the opportunity to communicate the impact and benefits of the camp experience.
Symposium Submission Details: We welcome studies completed by faculty, students, researchers, and camp professionals. The focus of this symposium is to communicate the practical applications of completed research to camp professionals. A blind, peer-review process will examine the appropriate use of the research process, but the presentations need to be practitioner-friendly and emphasize the direct application of the findings to practice. Upon participant request, full study details should be made available.
The research symposium proposals should include (and will be rated on) the following areas: relevance of purpose, research question(s) to professional needs and interests, theoretical context, methodology, analysis procedures, conclusions, and practical camp applications. The submission of research proposals is an online process but is set-up to allow for uploading a Word document of the proposal. The submission site allows for approximately 1000 words in 12 pt Times New Roman font. Graphs and charts may be included but should be limited. Keep in mind these graphics reduce the character counts. The expectation is that the research be completed with at least a minimum of preliminary results at the time of abstract submission and that the proposed paper has not been previously presented or published. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jeff Jacobs (Symposium Coordinator) at jacobs@calpoly.edu .
The symposium consists of two presentation formats: verbal presentations and poster presentations. The author(s) will be asked for a preference but that request cannot be guaranteed. A blind peer-review will occur with all submissions with no distinction around presentation format. The verbal presentations will be moderated and will consist of 15 minute time slots followed by a brief question and answer period. Related topics will be grouped to form topical sessions. The poster session will be held for a two hour time block during unopposed program time. While the research symposium proposals should include the traditional research details for the review process, the presentations should focus primarily on practical application. All conference attendees will have access to the abstracts for additional information or details on the other aspects of the research process. All papers accepted for the symposium regardless of presentation format (verbal, poster) will be displayed in poster form at the conference. The ultimate goal is to post the research summaries and practical applications on the ACA research web site so the information is more widely accessible.
Marge Scanlin Outstanding Student Research Award. Student researchers may want to submit their project for consideration for the Marge Scanlin Outstanding Student Research Award. This Scholarship will be awarded each year to a deserving student who has contributed to the camp research body of knowledge. The purpose of the award is to encourage students to undertake camp research and present their findings at the annual ACA conference. A monetary scholarship will be awarded to the student whose abstract is selected for the Scanlin Award. The student is expected to attend the conference to present their research and use the monetary award to help defray conference expenses. The student selected must join ACA, if not already a member. For more information on the Scanlin Award, visit: http://www.acacamps.org/research/connect/scanlin_award.php .
Presenter expectations: If a proposal is accepted for presentation, we expect the author to attend the conference to fulfill that obligation. It is expected that people speaking at the conference will register for at least one day. Professionals share a joint responsibility to help "grow" the profession, so we appreciate the contributions made by the researchers through their participation in the Symposium and the conference in general.
Review expectations: Summaries will undergo blind peer-review by a review team with expertise in camp and youth development research and other related areas. Submissions for the Marge Scanlin Research Award will undergo a separate review process. Papers may be rejected due to ineffective development of the summary, weaknesses in the study itself, lack of developed practical applications, or time and space limitations. Recent research that connects with the conference theme will be given priority.
Submission Deadline and Timetable: Call for Proposals will close September 30, 2009 and E-mail notification of status by October 30, 2009.
To submit a proposal, please go to http://www.acacamps.org/cfp/research/
We hope you will submit your research for consideration and look forward to offering a premier symposium on camp-related research.
Please Support the No Child Left Inside Act
From Don Baugh, Director, No Child Left Inside Coalition and Lucas Johnson , Assistant Grassroots Coordinator No Child Left Inside Coalition
The Senate version of the No Child Left Inside Act (S.866) was introduced by Senator Jack Reed on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. Already, this bill has 15 bi-partisan co-sponsors—a great start, but still a long way from our goal of 51 co-sponsors. Please help us to make progress towards this goal.
Action Alert:
Help us reach our goal of 51 Senate Co-sponsors
We need your help to shore up support for the No Child Left Inside Act by securing as many Senate co-sponsors as possible before Congress takes its August recess.
Email your Senator today and urge him or her to become a co-sponsor (for a list of co-sponsors, click here ). Visit your Senator’s website for their contact info; we have provided a model letter below.
As our leaders in Washington are focused on health care and climate change legislation, we have the opportunity to highlight the value of high quality environmental education in fostering good health and long-term stewardship of our planet. But, as the August recess approaches, time is short to meet the goal of 51 Senate co-sponsors. Your help is critical. Please take a moment to personalize an email letter to your Senator today.
A strong show of bipartisan support for programs that get children outside to learn and foster environmental literacy and stewardship will greatly aid our chances of swift passage of Senate bill 866, the No Child Left Inside Act.
Thank you for all you do!
Abby Ybarra and Lucas Johnson
Grassroots Coordinators
No Child Left Inside Coalition
S&C Professional Group
By Wes Riddle, S&C Outgoing Chair, Kennesaw State University,
Coordinator, Center for Student Leadership, Department of University
Studies
Announcment 1
Are you interested in learning more about incorporating experiential education across the curriculum? If so, then the Engage the Student: Experiential Education in the Classroom Preconference is for you. Held Wednesday, October 28 from 8a.m.-1p.m., this conference features three professors from Kennesaw State University and their efforts over the past year to incorporate EE across the curriculum.
Based off of a Faculty Learning Community and built around research conducted at KSU, participants will walk away from this workshop with ideas to engage their students, no matter the discipline. Registration is $75 and funds from this workshop benefit the Schools & Colleges Professional Group. For more information, please call Wes Riddle at 678-797-2246 or email at jriddle8@kennesaw.edu
Announcement 2
Calling all educators! Mark your calendar now for the Schools & Colleges Professional Group meeting, Thursday, October 29, 4:45-6:00 p.m. Room location will be determined on-site. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, please contact Wes Riddle at 678-797-2246 or email at jriddle8@kennesaw.edu
EBTD Professional Group
By Marc Levy, Ph.D., SPHR, EBTD Co-Chair
Greetings Dear AEE Colleagues! The EBTD Professional Group looks
forward to welcoming ALL attendees at this year’s AEE Annual
International Conference!
Note: EBTD offerings tend to be of interest or relevant to AEE folks from all segments of the professional spectrum. Since we all typically operate within or between organizational structures or systems, much of what EBTD has to offer can be easily adapted to most any program.
Please attend a pre-conference workshop that ALL program administrators can benefit from entitled, Practical Human Resource Management: Guidance for Program Administrators
Whether your program is primarily therapeutic, educational, recreational, or corporate/organizational, THIS pre-conference workshop will provide a unique opportunity to acquire some new knowledge, share creative ideas, learn best practices, and impart tools to help you with your employee recruitment and management needs. While the format will be primarily conversational in nature, didactic information will be offered as special topics arise, group work will be utilized as a problem-solving tool, and of course, some interactive games and activities will be used to underscore important concepts.
From strategic staffing/planning through recruitment, orientation/onboarding of new employees, performance management, and termination, all areas of human resource management will be free game for coverage in this important session.
Brian Capron and I hope to see you all in Montreal in October!!
Read on below for more great workshops offerings from the Experience-Based Training & Development (EBTD) professional group!
By Brian Capron, EBTD Co-Chair
Greetings to all AEE members! The EBTD community has their mojo up for this years international conference! Perhaps it's our "joie d'apprendre", and certainly it's our "joie de l'enseignement". Here's just a small selection of what's in store during the conference:
Suzanna Sharkey & Bryce Barnhart are offering "Using Experiential Learning to Teach Organizational Culture". In our turbulent economic times, cultures in organizations are changing. Doing more with less is a necessity, and relationships and trust and collaboration are key to building a winning organizational culture. Come prepared to learn and to share as we explore how to integrate experiential methods into teaching organizational culture to your clients and to your teams.
Stephen Balzac is offering "Learning Through Entertainment: Skills Training Through Serious Games". Since Edward Abt coined the phrase "Serious Games" in the 60's, organizations such as IBM and Boeing have used large and small group games to teach new skills. Adult Learning Theory, among others, has held that multiple intelligences and relevancy must be addressed to fully engage adult learners. Come prepared to be thoroughly engaged in exploring these concepts together and then bring them back to the teams you are responsible to and for.
David Kahn is offering "Conflict Management: Understanding the Art of Effective Conflict Resolution". Thomas and Kilmann, Tuckman, Lencioni and many others have written about healthy conflict resolution being essential to team effectiveness. Come join David to explore a model of managing and resolving conflict effectively.
Of course, we have a great pre-conference lined up with Marc Levy, written about elsewhere in this newsletter. WE will also have our EBTD organizational meeting, and be prepared for informal gatherings of like minded EBTD practitioners.
WPG Affiliation Group
By Denise Ouellette, Camp Manito-wish YMCA
For a number of years I had heard about these great International AEE Conferences but it had never worked out for me to attend. Finally the stars aligned and I was able to attend the 2005 conference where I experienced my first Women's Professional Group preconference workshop in Tucson, AZ. Denise Mitten, Nina Roberts, Karen Warren, and TA Loeffler were just a few of the amazing pioneering women (who have been doing so much research and practice with women and girls in the outdoors and in experiential education) that I met that wonderful day in Tucson. It was an amazing way to start off a conference, to start off my new career in experiential education and to meet this new community of kindred spirits that warmly welcomed me and introduced me to so many new possibilities. I made many new friends that I now look forward to seeing every year.
Over the last couple of years I have always made it a point to go to the Women's Professional Group pre-conference retreat. It is one the highlights for me for so many reasons. I get to meet new AEE attendees, women new to the industry as well as veterans, learn about anything from primitive outdoor skills, the latest research to how to incorporate art in the outdoors. Every year we have had new and different experiences. I am never disappointed and always wonderfully surprised. It is one of the best ways to meet potential mentors / mentees. This is a key part of our community as women of AEE. The pre-conference is a great way to kick off the whole AEE International Conference experience as I love going into the craziness already having a community that I can bump into, share stories and have dinner with.
In a way this preconference is also a retreat, a chance to relax and take care of yourself as well as meet other phenomenal women and learn from each other. No experience necessary! Come have fun, teach, learn and play. This we have some great activities planned (mountain biking clinic) that you can choose to participate in or not. It is not too late if you would like to lead a portion, suggest an activity or just have fun and join us. Contact me if you have any questions, Denise Ouellette - dslifeventure@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing you in Montreal!
National Competition to Advance School Reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2009
President Obama and US Sectretary of Education Announce National Compeition to Advance School Reform
President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that states leading the way on school reform will be eligible to compete for $4.35 billion in "Race to the Top" competitive grants to support education reform and innovation in classrooms. Between the 2009 budget and
