FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 29, 2008
Moultrie Middle School receives DHEC Donna Bates Memorial Award
CHARLESTON – Moultrie Middle School in Mt. Pleasant has been awarded the 2008 Donna Bates Memorial Award for coastal environmental education activities, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
"Moultrie Middle School demonstrated a unique and creative way to integrate our coastal environment into their seventh grade science and English curriculum," said Carolyn Boltin, DHEC's deputy commissioner of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. "We're proud to support their effort to make coastal issues fun and engaging for students and teachers.
"A grant of $2,000 would support the school's 'Glimpses of our Future!' photographic essay project, which strives to reach 10,000 students in the East Cooper Charleston County School District," Boltin said. "Seventh grade students will use photography to study the Shem Creek area and compose essays that explore current and future environmental impacts."
Boltin said that photographs and essays will be presented to the Mt. Pleasant Town Council and all East Cooper schools, where the environmental photographic essays will be displayed in conjunction with science and English lessons developed for each school.
"The photo essays will serve as a springboard for each teacher to reinforce his or her environmental curriculum," said Millibeth Currie, Science Department chair for Moultrie Middle School. "Photography is a very powerful tool and this project will improve students' knowledge of the Lowcountry's unique ecosystem, develop critical thinking skills and build a more environmentally aware group of young citizens."
The Donna Bates Memorial Award is given annually to encourage public schools in Horry, Georgetown, Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper counties to improve coastal science and ecology instructions by using the coastal environment as a teaching resource. The award was established in 1996 to honor the memory of Donna Bates, a DHEC public information officer and educator.
This year's award was made in partnership with the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence.
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For more information:
Dan Burger – (843) 953-0251
E-mail – burgerdj@dhec.sc.gov
or
Clair Boatwright – (803) 898-4461
E-mail - berrytw@dhec.sc.gov
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