In May, 45 educators from 22 different K-12 schools and 11 community partner organizations came together for a week at Camp Reed north of Spokane to learn how to develop overnight outdoor school programming for 5th and 6th grade students by participating in the 2023 Outdoor School Washington
Julie Tennis approached her first meeting with Denise Buck with trepidation. It was 2015 and Buck had just been hired as PEI’s new Operations and Program Director. As one of a handful of PEI staff, Tennis would be working closely with her to develop programming in the coastal
Typically, Career and Technical Education (CTE) frameworks are written at a local level for use by a specific school or district. That approach has both strengths and challenges, according to PEI Project Specialist Michelle Townshend. “The frameworks are locally relevant,” she explains, “but the problem is that nobody outside
Between December and May 487 teachers from 63 school districts attended one of PEI’s eight introductory FieldSTEM courses. It was the second year PEI has offered the series and attendance increased in 2023. Each two-hour session covered an aspect of PEI’s tools and resources and the FieldSTEM model’s
The national Project Learning Tree (PLT) conference in March was a busy time for PEI staff. Many of our statewide team were on hand to lead breakout sessions, participate in panel discussions and both give and receive awards throughout the week. More than 100 PLT coordinators from around
In the years that PEI has been working with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), many memorable moments have occurred. One that stands out for PEI Program Director Denise Buck occurred during a site visit on the Olympic Peninsula in preparation for a teacher workshop. “Our coastal coordinator was
For a group of teachers from Eastmont School District, February 11 was a day to remember. At a time when most professional learning workshops for teachers happen indoors, the group spent a day outside – on snowshoes, no less! – analyzing water and snow chemistry as part of
Students from Ellensburg’s Discovery Lab awoke on February 23, filled with anticipation. Today was the day they would meet Governor Inslee, share their findings about the shrub-steppe ecosystem with local legislators and connect with other student groups who have similar interests. Their school wouldn’t open for another hour
Like many states, Washington has a teacher shortage. Unlike any other state, Washington passed legislation in 2022 establishing an Outdoor School program for students statewide. The combination of these two factors creates a unique demand for educators trained in outdoor-based learning. PEI is meeting that demand through a
Time is one of the most precious resources teachers have and there never seems to be enough of it. For those who want to pursue further training through a workshop, finding the time to do it can be a challenge. With that in mind, several members of PEI’s
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