Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/575770
Back To School 2015 | WEAnews 14 Diana Wedl, a WEA member teaching in Laramie County School District #2, was the WEA 2014 National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) Teacher of the Year. As part of her duties, she traveled to parts of Peru, South America, for a ten-day fellowship this past June, along with other NFIE teachers from around the U.S. Upon her arrival in Lima, Peru, Wedl said it was a little shocking to see how Americanized and modernized the city of five million was (for example, seeing chain stores like Starbucks on street corners). But she, along with the other NFIE Fellows, soon learned a lot of history of the city and surrounding areas. The NFIE Fellows experienced the deep history of the people of Peru while visiting a museum. "It was helpful to learn history and background in the country, and to understand the very eclectic and original feel and its architecture," said. Throughout history, the Incas indigenous people country; later the and English brought influence to the well. However, traditions are still revered throughout country. While in the country, Wedl and the other Fellows visited schools and students, and, cooperation of a named Peru's Challenge, took part in a local community service The first public group visited was Mayor presidencial which is an elite school that only three percent academically across Peru can Students are taken their communities brought to schools looked like college This school doesn't EVANSVILLE GREENHOUSE PROJECT Great Things Happen Everyday Sponsored By The Wyoming Highway Patrol Megan Bickling, a Special Education Teacher at Evansville Elementary along with LeeAnne Miller with The Casper Community Greenhouse ProjectMike work to assemble the greenhouse with volunteers from the community. PTO President, Larry Lavin (center) helps volunteers assemble the greenhouse. The Evansville elementary school greenhouse is a project that started with a group of students who teacher and WEA Central Region President Dirk Andrews worked with in the 2014 summer school session. Andrews was doing an enrichment lesson focused on water conservation with his fifth grade class. "This group took it upon themselves to put a twist on it and started to research community gardens," Andrews said. After compiling local and national research, the students put together a proposal to present to their principal. The students' proposal sparked the principal to begin working with The Casper Community Greenhouse. Throughout the next year the principal worked with the Community Greenhouse group to find the resources to build a greenhouse, which is now in progress. During the planning stages, Evansville Elementary hosted a family night and provided food you could make from a garden; it was a huge success and the families ate food you would be surprised to see them eat! The school intends to share food with the community next summer.