Skip to main content
NC DEQ logo NC DEQ

Topical Navigation

  • Home
  • Divisions
    Divisions
    • Air Quality
    • Coastal Management
    • Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources
    • Environmental Assistance and Customer Service
    • Environmental Education and Public Affairs
    • Marine Fisheries
    • Mitigation Services
    • Waste Management
    • Water Infrastructure
    • Water Resources
  • Permits & Rules
    Permits & Rules
    • Permit Directory
    • State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)
    • Express Permitting
    • DEQ Forms
    • Permit Assistance and Guidance
    • Rules & Regulations
    • Enforcement
    • NC DEQ ePayments
    • DEQ Permitting Transformation Program
    • Environmental Application Tracker
    • Pre-Regulatory Landfills Map
    • Title VI Compliance
    • Risk-Based Remediation
  • Outreach & Education
    Outreach & Education
    • N.C. Environmental Education
    • Distance Learning - Environmental Education
    • Environmental Justice
    • Educator Resources
    • Recognition Programs
    • Public Involvement Programs
    • Training
    • Recreation
    • Research
    • Grants
    • Conservation
    • Recycling
  • Energy & Climate
    Energy & Climate
    • Energy Group
    • Climate Change
    • Community Solar
    • Energy Assurance
    • Energy Efficiency and Weatherization
    • Energy Resilience
    • Transportation
    • Workforce Development
    • Offshore Wind Development
  • News
    News
    • Press Releases
    • Public Information Contacts
    • Environmentally Speaking Blog
    • Public Notices & Hearings
    • Events
    • Key Issues
    • DEQ Dashboard
    • Legislative Reports
    • Requesting Public Records
  • About
    About
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership
    • Boards and Commissions
    • Divisions
    • Green Square
    • Contact
    • Work at DEQ
  • NC.GOV
  • AGENCIES
  • JOBS
  • SERVICES
NC DEQ »   Home »   blog

Collaboration Between Departments Attracts Record Number to 6th Annual Nonformal Educators Meeting

December 15, 2016

Educators from all regions of North Carolina gathered at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Research Center last week for the 6th annual meeting for nonformal educators. The meeting reached its highest attendance to date with more than 90 nonformal educators representing a wide variety of nonprofit and city, county, state and federal agencies and facilities, including nature centers, science museums, gardens, arboretums, aquariums, state parks, the N.C. Forest Service, the Wildlife Resources Commission, 4-H, Soil and Water Conservation Districts and others. 

The meeting is a collaboration between the Science Section of the Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs to support nonformal educators who provide environmental science to school-age children. This unique partnership encourages collaboration between schools, school districts, NCDPI and the nonformal education community to support science learning and environmental literacy.

The meeting provides an opportunity for educators to get updates on curriculum standards from NCDPI and resources to help align their educational programs and field trips with the state’s essential standards for science. Participants shared school program and teacher professional development success stories. 

The highlight of this year’s meeting was a panel of classroom teachers that included Kerry Piper, an earth/environmental science teacher at Apex High School, Alexandra Shadroui, a middle school science teacher at Salisbury Academy, Terry Denny, a music teacher at Lacy Elementary School in Raleigh and Jennifer Fine, elementary science senior administrator with Wake County Public School System. Panel members addressed a variety of questions including how nonformal educators and can connect with teachers, what resources teachers need from nonformal educators, i.e., field trips, lesson plans, etc. and what professional development programs or opportunities teachers find most helpful.  

Lisa Tolley, program manager with the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs wasn’t surprised by the high numbers of attendees. “North Carolina has one of the strongest nonformal science communities in the country and these educators and facilities provide a wealth of programming to students and profession development to teachers across the state. These partnerships as a way to ensure students are exposed to hands-on, field-based learning that enhance student’s understanding of STEM subjects and meet environmental literacy goals, which are specifically noted in the new Every Student Succeeds Act.” 

The two departments plan to continue to build on this partnership and look forward to future collaborations. 

 

This blog is related to:

  • Environmentally Speaking

Related Articles

  • What Salamanders and Lichens Can Teach Us about Air Quality in North Carolina
  • Fisheries Director Catches Up with Anglers at Cape Point
  • A Ride on the Electric School Bus
  • POPS Goes the Cleaners
  • Viewing Climate Change through a Creative Lens
  • Winter Air Quality
  • Seasonal technicians needed at Wilmington Office
  • Modernizing the Hazardous Waste Billing Process
  • The Year in Review: DWR Water Education in 2021
  • Coastal research grants: Assemble and polish the application package
  • Coastal Research Grants: Prepare a budget and additional materials
  • Coastal Research Grants: write the project description
  • Coastal research grants: Draft an outline
  • Coastal research grants: solicit early feedback
  • Coastal Research Grants: Before you write...

Related Articles

  • State Brownfields Program Celebrates Milestone
  • DEQ nationally recognized as Best Workplace for Commuters
  • Cooper names Michael Regan to lead NC DEQ
  • Teens & 20s Writer Plans to Earn Her N.C. Environmental Education Certification During Gap Year
  • BOEM announces wind lease sale offshore Kitty Hawk
  • Innovative Durham teacher removes obstacles to environmental education
  • Words of Rain Barrel Wisdom
  • Two state employees retire after monumental careers
  • Read Across America, a really BIG event for Raleigh elementary school
  • DEQ partners with NCSU to offer environmental education credits

Share this page:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

How can we make this page better for you?

Back to top

Contact Us

Physical Address
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
217 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603 Map It
877-623-6748

Mailing Addresses

Work for Us

  • Job Opportunities at DEQ
  • For State Employees
  • DEQ Intranet

Twitter Feed

Tweets by NC DEQ

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • DEQ Employee Directory
  • Translation Disclaimer
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open Budget
NC DEQ
https://deq.nc.gov/blog/2016-12-15/collaboration-between-departments-attracts-record-number-6th-annual-nonformal