EXECUTIVE MESSAGE 

Dear Friends,

Thanksgiving is a time when we can reflect on our good fortune to live in this country, the opportunities it provides us, and our aspirations for future generations.

The success of our democratic process depends on the educational opportunities available today for tomorrow’s adult citizens.  One of America's most pressing needs is to address the disparity in educational opportunities. Times like these present significant challenges to public education. With declining state and federal budgets, we must do more with less.

Through our expansion projects at ECHS, we will open the door for hundreds of children who will benefit from a quality education and more choices in their future - an opportunity that will ultimately transform their lives. 

So I ask that you consider supporting ECHS with a financial contribution towards one or more of these projects (learn more). No donation is too small; every gift makes the school better for our students.

To all of our supporters, our staff, and our students at Environmental Charter High School I wish you a warm, fulfilling, and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Bruce D. Greenspon is President of the Board of Directors of ECHS.  He is Manager, Program Contract Negotiations at Raytheon. 

TOP STORY

ECHS Students Take The Podium: From Speeches To Press Conferences

This month ECHS students could be found at the public podium in front of electronic media, political and business leaders delivering speeches about environmental issues, supporting Green campaigns, and being recognized for their contributions.

Imagine this: standing next to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Los Angeles Convention Center with 6,000 teens, energized to change the way they impact the environment, waiting to hear what you have to say. Pretty heady stuff for anyone, and 17-year-old ECHS junior Jordan Howard (see picture) did it with poise and power.

Her keynote speech at the 2009 Environmental Youth Conference, themed “Start Local, Impact Global” kicked off the November 4 conference of local elected officials, young environmental leaders, and celebrities. The goal was to promote environmental awareness and responsibility through youth-conducted workshops and networking opportunities with green professionals and environmental organizations.

Across the hall at the same conference, 16-year-old ECHS junior Rudy Sanchez joined a panel discussing how he has raised public awareness about reducing plastic consumption with reusable alternatives. With Rise Above Plastics, a program of the Surfrider Foundation, he has delivered more than 35 presentations to over 1,000 people about alternatives to one-time consumable plastics.

Later that week as news cameras flashed, Sanchez joined City Supervisor Don Knabe, Assemblyman Zev Yaroslavsky, NBA Champion Luke Walton, and ABC7 Eyewitness News Weathercaster Danny Romero as a press conference speaker (see picture).

He led city officials, celebrities, and attendees in reciting a public pledge to recycle and reuse plastic bags, helping to kick off LA County’s BragAboutYourBag recycling campaign.

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New Member Tom Feegel Brings Eco-Business Savvy to ECHS Board

ECHS recently welcomed Tom Feegel to its Board of Directors. Feegel is CEO of Brand Neutral, an eco-consulting firm advising business leaders on brand strategy, content creation, and revenue growth.

As Chief of Staff for Al Gore's Global Concert Event in 2007, Tom oversaw sponsorship, and worldwide marketing. He created a popular consumer handbook on surviving the climate crisis and championed an on-the-road greening guide for celebrities and artists. Other organizations Tom has worked with include Disney, NBC, Dell, Ford, Phillips, Smart Car, Pepsi, National Geographic, Healthy Child Healthy World, Girl Scouts of the USA, Kiva.org, National Wildlife Federation, Energy Star, and the Vatican. 

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GREEN AMBASSADORS

ECHS’ award-winning Green Ambassadors program exemplifies our service-learning philosophy.

It creates opportunities for youth to build leadership skills and address critical environmental issues facing our planet.

ECHS senior and Green Ambassador student extraordinaire Jordan Howard received the Young Leader Award from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) at the GreenBuild International Conference in Phoenix, AZ. She was selected for her commitment to the environment and her success in effecting change among her peers as an active leader in the sustainability movement.  Howard credits ECHS with helping her discover these issues and inspiring her to pursue them.

As the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, Greenbuild provides its USGBC Young Leaders with an opportunity to hear from highly acclaimed speakers, attend special seminars, and educate themselves on the green building movement. In April 2010, Howard will join other USGBC Young Leaders and travel to Washington, DC, on an all-expense paid trip to participate in a special event at the Kennedy Center.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT 

Joseph Ehrlichmann

Job: English teacher, 11th grade

Educational Background: B.A., English, National University

Before ECHS: Ehrlichmann taught English, including 12th grade AP Literature and Composition at South Gate High School in the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD).  While in LAUSD training to receive his California State Teaching Credential, he was named Most Outstanding Intern.  Before his teaching career, he earned his living as a professional musician, touring with SuperFunk Fantasy. 

On ECHS:  The value of the school’s unique curriculum became clear to Ehrlichmann on a backpacking trip to Point Mugu State Park. He traveled with the 11th grade as part of ECHS’ Outdoor Learning program, which helps students learn leadership, communications, and teamwork skills. “I think ECHS is a great role model for a successful inner-city high school. It is a place where students really feel like their work in school has an impact on the community.”

When School's Out: An accomplished musician, Joseph still plays the trumpet, as he did in the St. Louis All-Suburban Band and the Missouri All-State Jazz Band.  He also enjoys reading, road trips in the Western United States, and soccer.

INSPIRED STUDENTS

Donald Brooks Helps City Council Make Lawndale Kids Breathe Cleaner

ECHS 12th-grader Donald Brooks is a person who sees a challenge where others would see a brick wall. He wanted to do things that he had no idea how to do.  The only thing he was sure of was his fear of speaking in front of others and his desire to create change.

He realized that change would have to start within. “I started to volunteer and reach out to others,” he explains.  At Environmental Charter High School he signed up for an internship at Barnes & Noble. “It wasn’t because I liked it,” he says with a sly smile, “but because I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to overcome my shyness and improve my speaking skills.” And it was. In his junior year, he interned for ECHS' Green Ambassadors. “I had to find and schedule events such as a jazz festival and Hawthorne Earth Day so that I could speak at them on behalf of ECHS,” says Brooks.

A subsequent internship program involved him in local public policy. “Our goal was to get the City Council to approve a Tobacco Retail License (TRL) for stronger enforcement of tobacco laws.  We met with two City Council members. Then we conducted Youth Purchase Surveys, where we went into 38 stores in Lawndale pretending to buy cigarettes to see how many stores would sell tobacco to minors.” Quite a feat for a self-described shy kid, but it gets better.

On October 19, 2009, Brooks addressed the Lawndale City Council with his findings. He made the case for passing the TRL into law, and the City Council voted to approve it. “I felt that this was a great accomplishment, to be a part of real change in my community,” Brooks beams. “In fact, Councilman Miles offered me an internship in his office this summer!” Thanks to ECHS inspiring and guiding him to overcome his fear of speaking in front of others, Donald Brooks is now an effective force within his community.

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OTHER NEWS – CELEBRATING SUCCESS

ECHS Team in Solar Cup 

A team from ECHS received $4,000 from the West Basin Water District to participate in the Solar Cup, a program where students gain hands-on experience in engineering, natural resources management, and water conservation issues. The team will build a solar-powered boat and compete in a sprint race, using solar energy stored in batteries to power their boats in a 200-meter dash at the nation’s largest solar boat competition. 

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Northrop Grumman Grant Makes ECHS Science, Math Classes Smarter

Smart Board technology and lab equipment are coming to ECHS Science and Math classes, thanks to a $5,000 grant from Northrop Grumman.  Students will benefit from a SMART board for the Biology classroom, as well as other lab gear and educational software.

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No Ordinary School: Outdoor Education Fosters Leadership Skills

Students hike, kayak, and snorkel day and night, while learning about Catalina Island's ecosystem, native species, composting, and gardening. It’s just one of ECHS’ Outdoor Learning programs.

A requirement of ECHS’ unique curriculum, the annual 9th Grade Catalina trip takes students beyond the classroom walls, challenging and inspiring them to learn and achieve during a 3-day trip with the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program.

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Thanks to Partners and Volunteers, ECHS Green Career Day a Smashing Success!

ECHS’ annual Career Day this month brought 45 guest speakers  from a variety of professional fields to the school to share career insights with our students. “It's always a pleasure to see kids and show them the value of education, dreams, and accomplishing goals,” said Michael Garcia, a guest speaker from Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. “Your school is very impressive and is a model to those not only around here, but I believe for the entire nation."

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Now Accepting Applications for Environmental Charter Middle School: Opening Fall 2010

Environmental Charter Middle School will open in Gardena with 120 sixth graders in the fall of 2010. click to Learn More

OUR PARTNERS – A BIG GREEN THANK YOU

We thank our corporate, professional, and community partners for supporting ECHS.  From generous financial and in-kind assistance, to time and expertise, your support is helping us inspire and educate like never before.

Our many sponsors and partners . . .

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EVENTS

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, December 9th 5:30 p.m.

“From Garbage to Garden”: A FREE Composting Workshop

Please join students in our Green Ambassadors program as they lead a free public workshop on composting at ECHS.   You will learn about this easy way to reduce waste and recycle nutrients into rich soil from composting experts at this student-created, student-produced, and student-taught event!

Also enjoy food, games, raffles, Earth Positive merchandise, and multi-media presentations - all brought to you by ECHS students, who have completed a composting unit where they learned about recycling, permaculture, and systems thinking.

Also, Green Ambassadors and Rise Above Plastics have teamed up with Loyola Marymount University, to present another workshop for LMU athletes on Tuesday, December 8, at 5:30 pm.  Contact for both events: matthew_morrissey@echsonline.org or call (310) 214-3400.

$300,000 FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN NOW UNDERWAY

Expansion to Serve Lower Grade Levels - Fund Drive

Help start Environmental Charter Middle School!  The first phase of our plan to build a network of environmentally focused schools serving 3,000 students in grades K-12 will be the launch of our new middle school.   Environmental Charter Middle School (ECMS) is slated to open in Gardena in the fall of 2010. 

A charter petition is now actively pending before educational authorities. Please help us by contributing towards start-up costs for staff recruitment, student recruitment, enrollment, textbooks, and equipment. 

ECHS has created an award-winning learning model that has been recognized for its “best practices.” Its environmental (“Green Curriculum”) programs deeply engage students, taking them beyond the classroom walls and inspiring them to learn and give to their communities. ECHS has seen significant progress in student achievement, attendance, discipline, and enrollment with the development of our Green Curriculum programs.

This year, we received California State funding to disseminate our best practices to 10 schools throughout the state. As more schools learn about our programs, the demand to share them continues to grow. Your donation can help us continue these critical programs at ECHS, and expand their reach to other schools, exponentially increasing their impact. 

Science Lab and Green Campus - Fund Drive

Science is critical to our future. ECHS classrooms do not yet meet the minimum standards for college-preparatory science lab work and instruction. They were originally designed for elementary students. Our tiny chemistry area is woefully inadequate for lab classes. We lack sufficient sinks, electrical outlets, and lab space.

Our goal is to expand our students’ capacity to learn science, by funding:

• Indoor and outdoor science lab space, plumbing, fixtures, flooring, furniture, equipment and textbooks
• Solar and wind power demonstration projects
• Windows with sun shading/reflecting systems
• Energy efficient campus lighting

You can help bring our facilities up to the standards our students deserve by making a financial contribution.