EXECUTIVE MESSAGE

When Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) was founded 10 years ago as Los Angeles’ first - and one of the nation’s first - environmentally-themed public charter high schools, little did we know we were paving the way for what has become a national “Green Schools” movement.

Thanks to our successes, we receive daily calls from other schools around the country asking for help implementing a Green Curriculum. Why?

ECHS is one of America’s ‘Greenest Schools’ because environmental stewardship is at the heart of everything we do. We practice what we teach, with the students taking the lead. For example:

• Students have led ECHS' efforts to reduce landfill waste by composting organic matter instead of sending it to a landfill. They then use the resulting compost in the school’s organic gardens, where they plant and harvest using only natural pesticides.
• ECHS interns help a variety of local businesses. For example, this past year they helped Paramount Pictures green its studios, resulting in a 50% reduction in the energy spent on cooling and a 30% reduction in the amount of plastic used in their DVD cases and displays.
• See below for more examples.

The school’s uniquely engaging and inspiring approach has delivered improved academic performance, attendance, and discipline. We are incredibly grateful for the financial and in kind support of our partners – support that helps us meet our goals  including the launch of our green teacher training center and other initiatives described below!

Sara Laimon is Director and Founder of ECHS’ Green Ambassadors, Board Director of the Green Charter Schools Network, and Green Technology Magazine Environmental Teacher of The Year 2008.

TOP STORIES

New York Times Interviews ECHS Founder

A recent article in the New York Times on “Green Schools” interviewed ECHS Founder & Executive Director Alison Suffet-Diaz about the school's experience over the last 10 years as Los Angeles’ first and only environmentally themed high school. Like other competitive charter schools, ECHS has a rigorous college-prep curriculum. What sets the school apart is how it uses environmental issues and action to motivate and inspire its students.

Green Curriculum Training Center Launched

Building on the success of our 2009 Green Curriculum Dissemination Project within California, ECHS has launched a first-of-a-kind in the nation Green Teacher Training Center. Our Training Center will develop the skills of teachers from across the 50 states to integrate green curriculum into their daily teaching.

“We are a model for Green Education and our launch of a Green training center for other schools will afford us the opportunity to scale our impact - bringing true change to our children’s classrooms. We bring the value of our 10 years of experience integrating environmental service learning into our curriculum, including developing and disseminating our curriculum for the State of California,” says Environmental Charter Schools founder and Executive Director Alison Suffet-Diaz.

At a naming ceremony, the training center will be unveiled along with our strategic partners. Additional support is welcomed and needed. Get Involved

Why ECHS?

Last year, the State of California Board of Education selected Environmental Charter High School to help other public schools by sharing its instructional modules – or Green Curriculum - as a successful model for reducing achievement-gaps in California's K-12 public education system. In addition, grants from major corporations including Honda, Chevron, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman have helped underwrite the school’s development of ‘Green math” and science lessons that coincide with students Green learning activities in their community.

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ECHS To Offer Class in Partnership with KCET

This semester ECHS students will work with a USC film professor and KCET's production team to co-produce a segment of KCET's Departures web series.

Thanks to a grant from Boeing and support from the Youth Policy Institute, this elective course will teach students professional video, photography and audio recording and editing skills as they explore the history, culture, geography, and socio-political issues that influence urban agriculture in Compton, CA. For more information on the show,click here or contact us.

GREEN AMBASSADORS

Rise Above Plastic (RAP) Student Speaker Series is Back

Green Ambassadors, in partnership with The Surfrider Foundation and The Algalita Marine Research Foundation, created the Rise Above Plastics Program, a student speaker series that encourages Los Angelenos to curb their single-use plastic habits.

Through the program, students learn about the impact of plastics on our lives and the environment, including plastic marine debris, chemicals and toxins.  Students spread the word to their peers and the community by delivering engaging presentations that encourage practical solutions. They also learn the value of teamwork and polish their public speaking and presentation skills. For a presentation at your school, business or organization, email.

Photo: ECHs students sign up Google Santa Monica office.

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.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT 

Nina Arezina

Job: Teacher, Government and AP U.S. History

Educational Background: B.A., History and Secondary Education, Marquette University, Milwaukee.

On ECHS: “I feel really lucky to be able to teach at ECHS. Not only are our classes small, and students really energizing, but also I love the experiential learning approaches that are built into our curriculum because they help me engage students in the subjects I teach, “ says Arezina.

“It is so much more exciting to bring subjects like Government and History to life when we combine our classes with programs like learning in the community, and interdisciplinary programs like Intersession at ECHS,” says Arezina.

When School's Out: Although she hails from Wisconsin, Arezina's love for surfing is a big part of why she came to California. A big fan of travel, and outdoor sports like snowboarding, it is no surprise Arezina is a good fit for a school that incorporates Outdoor Learning into its curriculum.

INSPIRED STUDENTS

Senior Cendy Linares Finds Her Voice

12th-grader Cendy Linares never imagined as an entering freshman that she would be giving a seminar to UCLA college students as part of her high school education. Her parents never attended college. But presenting at UCLA is just what Cendy did. Her lecture topic: knowing the difference between wants and needs and how that connects back to sustainability (click for video).

Today Linares often speaks in public, and the audiences are getting bigger and bigger. Thanks to the presentation skills and knowledge she has gained at ECHS through classes such as Green Ambassadors, Cendy has been interviewed for television and radio programs, including TV show Alter Eco on Discovery Network's Planet Green, a PBS program, and a KPFK fm radio talk show.

Selected for a Green Ambassadors international program, Cendy traveled to Costa Rica with a school group to study sustainable farming techniques. The experience expanded her outlook. “I realized how much we take for granted in the U.S., and how we often overlook the difference between wants and needs.  On returning home, I no longer thought about the new clothes that I wanted to buy. I thought about the things that I wanted to donate to people who were in need,” says Linares.

Active in the student council, as an intern, and volunteer, she credits ECHS with inspiring her towards new goals. “ECHS has taught me how I can make changes in my life, and set a positive example for others, hopefully to help and inspire them. Now I want to make a difference in others’ lives and have the power to change people's life in a positive way," she says.

Interested in law, Cendy plans to double major in Criminal Justice and Business Management in college, and hopes create a center for troubled teens after she graduates.

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 PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

REI Inc. Equips ECHS Outdoor Learning

"We inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship,” says the mission statement of outdoor equipment retailer REI. Thanks to help from REI, inner-city youth from ECHS who have never camped out under the stars or felt the cool mountain air on their cheeks may be able to experience the outdoors in a way that transforms their lives. 

Over the past two holiday seasons, REI’s Manhattan Beach store collected over $700 in check-out register donations that will provide gear for ECHS outdoor programs, such as wilderness backpacking and biking.

“One of over 100 stores nationwide, our store partners locally with non-profits that match the goals of our cooperative and its members," says Scott Wood, Outreach Specialist for REI in Manhattan Beach. “Because ECHS, with its Green Ambassadors, is a local non-profit involving youth – including at-risk youth – in outdoor and conservation activities, it is a perfect partner for our store,” he explains.

OTHER NEWS – CELEBRATING SUCCESS

On The Air: 90.7 KPFK FM Radio Show Interviews ECHS Students

ECHS students discussed their relationship with the planet for Soul Rebel Radio, a monthly show on KPFK fm Los Angeles. Show producers came to campus to interview ECHS students after learning about the expanded perspectives they gain from their Green Ambassadors class. The show interviewed three students for a segment scheduled to air February 5th at 7:00 pm.

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

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

$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. 

 Please help us by contributing towards start-up costs for staff recruitment, student recruitment, enrollment, textbooks, and equipment. 

Green Curriculum Expansion – Fund Drive

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.

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. 

PUBLIC INVITED! STUDENTS TO LEAD PUBLIC DEBATE AT COMMUNITY FORUM

Community resources should be used to improve our quality of life! That is what students at Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) will argue as they try to inspire their local community to take action on this and other environmental and civic issues on February 5th at the ECHS Community Forum.

• Time: 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. followed by potluck event.
• Location: ECHS, 16315 Grevillea Avenue, Lawndale, CA.
• To register, contact our main office: (310) 214-3400.

ECHS students and teachers are also participating in these upcoming events...

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