Will support the continuation and expansion of a climate science program that was funded this year by an NEF small grant. The program is to be undertaken by Mass Audubon’s Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, in partnership with Northampton High School. All Northampton High School 9th grade Biology classes and 11th and 12th grade Environmental Science classes will have an in-class lesson focused on climate science and real world, local climate data, followed by a climate solutions field trip to Arcadia. Students will discuss the role of greenhouse gases in climate change and calculate their carbon footprint to determine how humans—and they personally—can reduce their impacts on the environment. They will then explore local ongoing data sets on maple sugaring to determine the long-term impacts on the economy and human and ecological health. The high school field study at Arcadia will include calculating the carbon capture potential for Arcadia’s forests versus the surrounding community and making predictions for changes in local plant and animal communities and important habitats, such as vernal pools, due to climate change. They also will visit the solar array, explore community-scale climate solutions, and learn about “green careers” that fit their personality types as another way to have a positive impact on our world. This program will be funded at $10,000 for the next three years.

Will help support a continuation of a Global STEM partnership program with a partner school in Coventry, England. The program is in the 5th Grade at Jackson Street School and as an after-school program for 7th graders at JFK Middle School.  The project for 2017-2018 school year will be to build, track, and retrieve two small wooden boats that would sail across the Atlantic.  Students involved would consult with marine engineers on designing, prototyping, and building seaworthy vessels.  Each boat would be equipped with equipment to allow for real time data collection on such things as wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, currents, ocean salinity and other weather data.  Data will be uploaded into the NASA Globe project database and analyzed by students in Northampton and in Coventry.  Students will collaborate on teams with both members from England and the US and will present to the larger group on topics that support the water quality and climate change curriculum.  This program will be funded at $14,000 for one year.

Will support the continuation of the Outdoor School Classroom and garden projects in all four Northampton elementary schools. This is building on a previous three-year NEF Endowment Grant and a number of Small Grants that enabled the four elementary schools to build the infrastructure for an outdoor garden program across the district (including the physical gardens, class garden visits for all students, collaboration time for teachers, and professional development with School Sprouts garden educators).  This grant continues the collaboration with School Sprouts Educational Gardens (School Sprouts), to guide the operation of the garden program, oversee growth and maintenance of the elementary school gardens, and educate/support teachers in outdoor learning.  It continues the development a garden and nutrition curriculum that promotes healthy food choices in students and has a strong carryover to families and the community, and it helps provide every child with regular access to the outdoor garden classrooms and surrounding natural areas. NEF strongly believes this has been a very successful program and want to continue to support it for two more years in hopes that, one day, it can be integrated in to the district’s budget or find a way to support itself.  This program will be funded at $16,000 for the first year and $20,000 for the second year.