In June, Symmes Elementary will be receiving close to $5,000 in grant money from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF), a program that's part of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Our grant met their goals of environment issues education and habitat restoration, as well as incorporating local contributions through the generous donations made by a pair of Symmes parents.
The grant will fund teacher training along with something a bit more exciting: 30 7” tablets with GPS, 2 mobile hotspots, and 2 remote cameras with night vision capability. The technology will be used to assist student field investigations focusing on the Nature Trail at Symmes (a nine acre wooded watershed adjacent to Symmes and owned by the district).
These woods have been used by Symmes teachers since the school opened in 1989. For the past few years, however, Steve Reinke, Symmes 2nd grade teacher and 2016 Sycamore Educator of the Year, has led more intensive efforts to rejuvenate the trail and improve its infrastructure through work provided by the students, teachers, parent volunteers, and Eagle Scouts.
