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Local Teachers Get Advanced Sustainability Training, Thanks to CELF's Summer Institute

CHAPPAQUA, NY, July 25, 2014 ... School teachers from as far away as Dubai and as close to home as New York City, Westchester County, NY, and Fairfield County, CT, have a new perspective on preparing their students for the social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st Century after attending the 2014 CELF Summer Institute: Education for Sustainability.

 

The Summer Institute is a professional development workshop sponsored by the Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF) where K-12 educators are trained in integrating sustainability concepts into their curricula. The 2014 program was held at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY, July 21-24.

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In past years, teachers from across the nation as well as from Dubai have attended Summer Institutes sessions, and two of the educators from Dubai returned for this year’s event. They were joined by more than three dozen veteran teachers from public and private schools in New York and Connecticut. 

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Twelve Westchester County teachers attended the Summer Institute on scholarships generously provided by The Edith Winthrop Teachers Center. The recipients were from six schools in the school districts of Hastings-on-Hudson, Greenburgh Eleven, Irvington, Tarrytown and Ardsley. A scholarship participant from Dobbs Ferry said, “The Institute totally changed my way of thinking both professionally and personally. It allowed me to collaborate in a way never possible and totally understand what Education for Sustainability means for my students and my instruction.” - Laura Lane, Dows Lane Elementary School, Dobbs Ferry, NY

 

CELF, now in its 12th year, is dedicated to making environmental literacy an integral part of every school’s curriculum, from kindergarten through high school. The underlying concept is that once students grasp the connections between a stable economy, a healthy environment, equitable social systems, and their role as global citizens, they will be positioned to help build, protect and enjoy a more sustainable world.

 

Executive Director Katie Ginsberg said CELF’s Summer Institute “has helped hundreds of educators seamlessly integrate sustainability into existing curriculum across all subject areas, notably enriching core and STEM learning. Many of the teachers who have taken part have been so impressed that they’ve returned for more training, and their post-session comments consistently reflect their enthusiasm.”

 

Dr. Sherie McClam, a professor at Manhattanville College, said: “The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation brings people together in high-quality programs to transform visions and compel action. From my early participation in the 2009 Summer Institute to my current role as member of the Institute faculty, I have been inspired by CELF’s dedication to helping educators understand sustainability as a context for learning. CELF works tirelessly to understand the shifting tides of state and national education policy and the context in which teachers are being asked to perform and develop programming that will meet the needs of the people involved in education for a sustainable future.”

 

CELF Summer Institute participants are eligible for in-service credits or graduate credits from the Manhattanville College School of Education.   For more information about CELF and the Summer Institute, go to www.celfeducation.org or call 914-238-4753.  

 

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About The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF) Founded in 2003 and based in Chappaqua, NY, CELF was created to promote awareness of the importance of environmental literacy and to help schools and school districts make sustainability an ongoing part of education. CELF K-12 programs help teachers give students the tools, content and experience to act as knowledgeable citizens. To achieve this, CELF provides consulting services for schools and school districts, training for teachers and administrators and sustainability education programs for students. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, CELF works with all kinds of schools—urban, suburban and rural, public and private. For more information go to: www.celfeducation.org.

 

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