By Jessica Schultz
In June, Tatiana Garcia Cam and Maria Manivesa joined Hitchcock Center staff to understand environmental educational methods, our programs, our building project, and the Living building Challenge. Tatiana and Maria were participants in the Institute for Training and Development’s (ITD) Professional Fellows Program in Environmental Sustainability. The Professional Fellows Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, brings emerging leaders from around the world to the United States for intensive fellowships designed to gain knowledge of practices and techniques for working with different stakeholders toward environmental sustainability.
By Bridget Litchfield
Master Gardener (MG) and Hitchcock Center Volunteer, Bridgit Litchfield, led a group of 10 interns training to become MGs. Along with 2 other certified MGs, the group spent the spring caring for the Butterfly, Caterpillar, and Horace Reed Memorial Gardens. The gardens were created seventeen years ago and continue to delight visitors of all ages, forming important play and inquiry spaces.
By Marcus Simon
The results of the Hitchcock Center’s 16th Annual Biothon are in! More than 116 people went out to explore the wildlife in our Valley on our Biothon weekends of May 1-3 and 8-10. 16 teams went out from 2 to 24 hours, finding a record 651 different species of birds, plants, trees, insects, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and more.
By Ted Watt
Fourteen teachers from Holyoke, Ludlow, Whately, Northampton and further afield, participated in a twelve-hour training on the integration of science and arts to meet instructional goals and standards identified for teachers in grades K-8. The training, funded in part by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, introduced teachers to the steps in the engineering design process, something that carries a high profile in the new 2013 MA Science and Technology/Engineering Standards.
Many years ago, Josia Gertz DeChiara was a camper at the Hitchcock Center, climbing trees and playing in mud puddles. Her fascination with the magical inner workings of plants drew her to study molecular ecology at Hampshire College, where she is now a sophomore.
By Patty O’DOnnell
The Hitchcock Center is excited to announce that, in partnership with Enchanted Circle Theater (ECT), it is receiving a prestigious 2015 Commonwealth Award. Presented every two years by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), the Commonwealth Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions made by the arts, sciences, and humanities to education, economic vitality, and quality of life in communities across the state.
We are happy to announce that Patrick O’Roark is joining the Hitchcock education team this year moving from seasonal to year-round educator leading Homeschool II, field trip and summer camp programs.
Educators Patty O’ Donnell and Micky McKinley, Helen Ann Sephton, and Ted Watt have developed three curricula units for grades 3, 4, and 5 with grant funding from New England Environmental Education Alliance and the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society. The curricula, developed over the course of a year, is freely available on Hitchcock Center’s website
Hitchcock’s Nature Summer Camp was full through 5 sessions this past season with 122 campers and 10 junior counselors. Thanks to generous contributions from members and community organizations, we were able to offer 15 scholarships this year. While most campers were from Massachusetts, we also saw participants from Italy, New York, Maine, and Pennsylvania.
On September 12 & 13 the Hitchcock Center cosponsored a Mini- Conference on the Living Building Challenge™ at Hampshire and Amherst Colleges with keynote guest, Amanda Sturgeon, executive director of the International Living Future Institute in Seattle. The conference sought to inspire over 200 participants to imagine buildings designed and built using net zero energy and water, with locally and regionally sourced, non-toxic materials that incorporate concepts of biomimicry into a functional and educational design using the Living Building Challenge (LBC) as a certification framework.
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Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at Hampshire College
845 West Street | Amherst MA 01002 | 413.256.6006 | 413.253.2809 fax