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Asbury Woods Educators attend PAEE Conference

PAEE Educators blog v2

Asbury Woods Educators attend PAEE Conference

Asbury Woods educators Erin Paquette and Casey Keating, and Director of Education & Community Programs, Sarah Bennett, enjoyed an inspiring couple of days at the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators Conference in Halifax, PA March 13-14, 2023. This was the first time that the conference had been held in person since before the COVID 19 pandemic. Over 200 formal and nonformal educators were excited to be together at Camp Hebron for professional development.

 “This was my first PAEE conference, and it was great to be with so many fellow educators. It was nice to see how passionate everyone was about the work they’re doing,” Sarah shared.

 While at the conference, Asbury Woods staff attended sessions on the new PA state Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental Literacy, and Sustainability (PA STEELS) standards that will be rolled out over the next several years and learned how well Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) address these standards.

 “I’m very excited to implement these new standards in the Asbury Woods curriculum and take our already excellent curriculum to the next level,” said Bennett. “I also hope that these new standards allow Asbury Woods to increase its reach to new school districts.”

 In addition to PA STEELS and MWEEs, Asbury’s staff learned about working with live insects, wildcrafting, campfire cooking, human ecology, and improving schoolyards for outdoor education. This opportunity is sure to have a positive impact on Asbury Woods’ programs!