Educator Open House
About the Event
Join the Pontchartrain Conservancy's Education Department and our partner organizations for a virtual Educator Open House to learn all about educational programs available for the 2020-2021 school year!
We are a one-stop-shop for any educators in Southeast Louisiana who are looking for fun virtual ways to engage their students, even in the absence of traditional field trips.
Come for the whole program, or pop in and out for the speakers you are interested in -- it's up to you!
Date: August 5, 2020
Time: 4:30pm-6:30pm CDT
Location: Anywhere! (It's a virtual program)
This event has ended. Please view the video.
Schedule of Presenters
4:30-4:40: Welcome and Opening Remarks
4:40-4:50: Pontchartrain Conservancy | Engaging Learners with Environmental Education
4:50-4:55: Energy Wise Alliance | Energy Efficiency Programs for Your (Virtual?) Classroom
4:55-5:00: LOOP NOLA | LOOP NOLA: Providing Outdoor Experiences to Foster Academic and Socio Emotional Learning
5:00-5:05: Louisiana Sea Grant
5:05-5:10: New Canal Lighthouse Museum and Lakefront Learning Lab (Pontchartrain Conservancy)
5:10-5:15: New Orleans City Park | New Orleans City Park: Learning in the Park
5:15-5:25: New Orleans Museum of Art | School Programs at NOMA
5:25-5:35: Ogden Museum of Southern Art | Ogden Museum of Southern Art Virtual Field Trip and Art Activities
5:35-5:40: Orleans Parish 4-H | Orleans Parish 4-H: More than just Cows and Sows
5:40-5:50: STEM NOLA
5:50-6:00: The Brown Foundation
6:00-6:10: The Green Project | The Green Project's M.E.S.S. Lab and Student Led Recycling Initiative: Synthesising Louisiana Standards of Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science to Serve Environmental Education
6:10-6:15: The National WWII Museum | National WWII Museum – Virtual Educational Programming, STEM and History
6:15-6:30 Wrap-up
Get to Know The Presenters!
Pontchartrain Conservancy
Pontchartrain Conservancy’s mission is to drive environmental sustainability and stewardship through scientific research, education, and advocacy. PC's Education Department offers educational programs that strive to facilitate exploration and increase awareness of water quality and coastal issues for students and community members (virtual adaptations available). Beginning in August, educators can utilize Educator Essentials, an online collection of curricula to assist educators in creating comprehensive, locally-focused and globally relevant environmental education investigations for students. Educator professional development opportunities are coming soon.
Contact: Kimberly Cooke | education@scienceforourcoast.org
Energy Wise Alliance
Energy Wise presents the Energy Smart for Kids and Entergy Solutions programs to schools all over the state! Every participating student receives an energy efficiency starter kit to make their homes more efficient immediately. This year's pandemic-friendly offerings include virtual lessons, a collection of lesson plans and supplies for teachers, and an inter-school competition.
Contact: Emily Snyder | emily@energyla.org
LOOP NOLA
LOOP NOLA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide positive, life-changing outdoor experiences for children and youth in Greater New Orleans. LOOP NOLA addresses the lack of opportunity for urban children to experience the outdoors. We nurture students' connections to nature by developing a sense of wonder at the natural world along with their social, technical and academic skills through repeated exposure to outdoor adventures over multiple years.
Contact: Heather West, Program Director | hwest@loopnola.org
Louisiana Sea Grant
Louisiana Sea Grant’s serves as a bridge between our state’s academic expertise and the needs of those who manage, conserve, enjoy and make their living on our coast. At any given time, Sea Grant participates in more than 50 research, extension, education and communication projects across the coastal landscape, addressing many of the complex – and often interrelated – ecological, economic and social challenges facing our state’s coast. Our activities are focused on the challenges to sustaining fisheries, deltaic ecosystems, coastal communities and workforce development.
Contact: Dani DiIullo | ddiiullo@lsu.edu
New Orleans City Park
The 1300 acre New Orleans City Park is one of the largest and oldest urban parks in the country, and has something for everyone. Attractions in the Park include the New Orleans Botanical Garden, The New Orleans Museum of Art, The Besthoff Sculpture Garden, Storyland and Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, City Putt Mini Golf, Cafe du Monde, The Louisiana Children's Museum, and Bayou Oaks Golf Course. There are also hundreds of acres of natural space for playing, picnicking, birdwatching, hiking, and spending time in nature.
Contact: Lindsay Kirsch | lkirsch@nocp.org
New Orleans Museum of Art
The New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden offer innovative experiences for learning and interpretation. School Program offerings include art discussions and classroom materials for students from Pre-K through college and professional development opportunities for educators. Students engage with art from a variety of cultures and time periods and are encouraged to look closely, build connections, think critically, and share personal perspectives.
Contact: Tracy Kennan, Curator of Education | tkennan@noma.org
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
The Ogden Museum Education Department creates innovative programs designed to bring art and people together to explore the rich and varied cultural identities of the American South. Since 2003, the Ogden Museum has endeavored to ensure equal access to the arts for all and provide quality experiences focused on discovering meaning through observation, discussion and creative response. The department presents a wide range of experiences from early childhood through adulthood, providing interactions with art, artists and educators, for school and community groups.
Contact: Ellen Balkin, Director of Education | education@ogdenmuseum.org
Orleans Parish 4-H
The 4-H mission is to empower youth to reach their full potential, working alongside caring adults. Through research based, experiential activities, 4-H participants gain knowledge and life skills which enable them to become positive, productive and compassionate citizens. Orleans 4-H accomplishes this mission with in-school and outside of school activities that engage youth in STEM, Citizenship, and Healthy Living activities.
Contact: Derek Landrum | orleansparish4h@agcenter.lsu.edu
STEM NOLA
STEM NOLA is a non-profit organization offering hands-on activities, inquiry-based learning methodology, standards-based pre- and post- assessment tools and teacher resource and development packages. It’s sole existence is to expose, inspire and engage members in challenged and underserved communities about the opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). STEM NOLA implements these tools by designing and delivering activities, programs & events that bring inspiration and motivation and training to all STEM stakeholders! ! Learn more at www.stemnola.com or email us info@stemnola.com.
Contact: Rebekah Olinde, Director of Education | rolinde@stemnola.com
The Brown Foundation
Under the Education committee, the Foundation's Education Department oversees various programs, many of which are exclusively for K-12 education initiatives with a strong preference for STEM and service learning. The Service Learning program offers funds to schools via Service Learning Awards for K-12 classes, to link learning and intentional service to their community through an identified Service Partner. The SupportSTEM Program seeks the best plans for curriculum implementation or STEM instruction support for K-12 schools.
Contact: Jonathan Baynham | JonathanBaynham@thebrownfoundation.org
The Green Project
Our free lessons teach K-12 students about waste diversion, recycling and creative reuse. With both in-class and on-site learning opportunities, we are excited to promote two new programs this year that engage students in environmental stewardship and civic engagement.
Contact: Erin Genrich | egenrich@thegreenproject.org
The National WWII Museum
The National WWII Museum provides a myriad of educational opportunities for teachers and students, focused on social studies and STEM.
Contact: Collin Makamson | collin.makamson@nationalww2museum.org