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Teacher Awarded for Work in Environmental Education and IPM - July 2005
July 20, 2005
UNIVERSITY PARK ,-- PA. A Philadelphia schoolteacher who engages her students in the world around them through environmental education and civic action was recently awarded for her efforts.
Patricia Whack, head teacher of service learning at Shaw Middle School, received a 2005 Educator 500 Award from the 3E Institute at West Chester University. Whack, who also serves as the school's Green Flag Coordinator, was recognized for her work in the project. "Ms. Whack is a true inspiration, having taken on all four project areas of the Green Flag Program including Reuse, Recycle; Indoor Air Quality; Toxic Products; and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)," says Sharif El-Mekki, principal at Shaw.
IPM is a kid-safe, economical, and scientific approach to managing pests. IPM integrates knowledge of pest identity (such as insects, rodents, weeds, etc.) and biology with pest monitoring so that action, if needed, can be taken at just the right time. In addition, IPM uses a combination of management tactics that are more likely to be safe and effective. The Green Flag Program helps schools switch to non-toxic methods of pest management, following the model of many successful school IPM programs nationwide.
As part of the Green Flag Program, Whack designs service learning projects that help connect her students with real world partners as personal mentors. "Partners come into my classroom and work in cooperative groups with the students on a weekly basis. They create, design, research, and develop environmental issue projects to be presented by our students at other schools," Whack explains. "The students also presented their projects at Shaw's Service Learning Health Fair in May."
The IPM service learning program was initiated at Shaw by the Pennsylvania IPM Program (PA IPM) and Nicole Webster, Penn State service learning instructor, in 2003. Under the direction of both El-Mekki and Whack, students have been learning about the benefits of using IPM in their school to manage roaches, flies, and mice indoors. Students formed an IPM Team to manage these indoor pests and also insects, animals and weed pests that may infest the school's outdoor garden.
According to Lyn Garling, PA IPM education specialist, "no outside food" rules, school-wide IPM projects, assemblies, and morning announcements stressing personal responsibility for keeping the school clean and free of trash have resulted in the involvement of the entire school family in a community approach to pest management. "Pests can easily travel from homes to schools and vice versa. For IPM in schools to be successful, we must strive to reach beyond the school environment; we must transfer the IPM message from teachers and students to the community at large," Garling explains.
Students will have the opportunity to use their new skills in homes and communities -- skills they learned practicing IPM in the school environment. According to Whack, students are utilizing surveys, audio-visual displays, after-school programs, newsletters at health fairs and community outreach events. "My students are learning how to be expert leaders, team researchers, educators, and peer role models while collaborating with community partners," she says.
The Green Flag Program is a project of the national Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign coordinated by the Center for Health Environment and Justice. The program encourages environmental leadership in schools, and is designed to help communities make their schools healthier places to learn and to educate students about environmental issues. The program involves students and adults in investigating issues, identifying problems, finding solutions and promoting positive environmental programs in schools. For more information on the program, see their Web site at http://www.greenflagschools.org/
The Educator 500 program identifies, rewards and supports entrepreneurial educators and teams who are proactively developing and implementing innovative programs that meet the unique needs of students by incorporating collaborative solutions, business partnerships, and parent and community involvement. For more information on the program, call (610) 738-0583, or visit their Web site at http://www.wcu3einstitute.org/.
The PAIPM program is a collaboration between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting IPM in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. The PA IPM program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/ contains a wealth of information and resources for schools and child development centers adopting IPM programs. By clicking on the "Schools" link, visitors also can download "IPM for Pennsylvania Schools, A How-To Manual." The link also leads to information about the school IPM effort in Pennsylvania and educational materials from across the country. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or visit Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.html.