Education Project of the Month: Bird’s-eye view at Lee County High
October 31, 2011 by clackey
For giving students a bird’s-eye view of nesting, the Lee County High School PRIDE Club earned southern and eastern Kentucky’s PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month Award for October 2011.
The PRIDE Club, with assistance from the school district’s technology coordinator, installed a webcam in a bluebird nesting box on campus. Video from the webcam was accessible by all Lee County schools last spring, and the school district plans to make the video available to the public via the Internet this fall.
“Students and faculty were able to watch as a pair of bluebirds built their nest and laid eggs and then their five baby bluebirds hatched, all in real time,” said Sandy Gay of the Lee County Conservation District, who also serves as the Lee County PRIDE Co-Coordinator. Gay has assisted the PRIDE Club with this project and nominated the club for the PRIDE award.
“We congratulate the students and faculty on an all-around excellent project that inspired a new appreciation for nature,” said PRIDE’s Jennifer Johnson, who presented a plaque to PRIDE Club members.
“Your creative use of technology allowed you to observe nature without disturbance, giving you rare insight into the nesting habits of bluebirds,” Johnson said. “And sharing this experience with everyone in the school system created such excitement, with people of all ages talking about the birds. When everyone enjoys learning this much, the impact will be long lasting.”
Twenty students in grades 9-12 participated in this PRIDE Club activity. In the PRIDE Club, students learn about the environment and perform community service.
PRIDE awarded $1,500 for environmental education at Lee County High School for this school year. Those funds will be used for PRIDE Club expenses, multimedia materials and books.
The PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month program rewards creative, effective ways of promoting environment awareness and stewardship.
“We give awards to thank people and to showcase the great things going on in our region, so please contact us if you want to nominate a person, school, business or organization that is helping our environment or inspiring others to care for nature,” Johnson said.
To submit a PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month Award nomination form, click here. To submit a PRIDE Volunteer of the Month Award nomination, please click here. Or, call PRIDE, toll free, at 888.577.4339.
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