School Education

CLASSROOM EDUCATION Unlike the lakes that freeze over and those animals that hibernate during the long, cold Maine winters – the Friends year-round education programs “heat up” during the school year.

Identified as a critical component of our mission by the Board of Directors at a June, 2004 planning retreat, this initiative became a reality in 2005 due in large part to a 5-year, $150,000 grant provided by the UNITY FOUNDATION.

Friends Education Director Tamara Whitmore tamara@watershedfriends.com is a graduate of Hood College in Maryland and the Antioch Graduate School of New England, and brings extensive experience in providing environmental education programs to school children of all ages. As an active board member of the Maine Environmental Education Association and the New England Environmental Alliance, Tamara works to promote environmental education across the state and region by incorporating real-life natural resource issues into relevant lesson plans for young learners.

Each year, Tamara is in classrooms throughout the watershed on a regular basis with over 800 students! ARE WE IN YOUR SCHOOL? Click here for the Friends Roll Call.

Our programs are custom tailored to meet the needs of each classroom….and each teacher, incorporating lessons and activities from nationally recognized programs such as Project Wet, Project Learning Tree, Project Wild; local resources including Maine’s Departments of Environmental Protection and Inland Fisheries & WIldlife; and of course, the Friend’s own original activities! Friends lesson plans are also an excellent way to meet state and national learning standards, while using the watershed around us as a local integrating context to learn skills in science, math, language arts and technology. Whether it be a year-round initiative, multiple visits, a single “splash”, or assistance on a special project or educational event – the Friends stand ready to assist.

FMI on what we can offer you and your school, please contact Education Director Tamara Whitmore at 621-4100 or via email at tamara@watershedfriends.com

TEACHERS! Click here for a list of topics and sample curricula.