{"id":227,"date":"2015-04-22T02:20:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T06:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/samsungnewsroom-staging.elasticbeanstalk.com\/us\/?p=227"},"modified":"2019-06-18T23:02:30","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T03:02:30","slug":"navajo-students-win-the-national-environmental-education-foundations-first-schoolyard-stem-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/navajo-students-win-the-national-environmental-education-foundations-first-schoolyard-stem-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Navajo Students Win the National Environmental Education Foundation\u2019s First Schoolyard STEM Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shiprock, N.M.\u00a0<\/span>\u2013<\/span>\u00a0April 22, 2015\u00a0<\/span>\u2013<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Samsung and the National Environmental Education Foundation<\/span>(NEEF) awarded its first-ever Schoolyard STEM Lab to the students and teachers of Nizhoni Elementary <\/span>School in Shiprock, N.M., today in celebration of the 10th annual\u00a0<\/span>National Environmental Education Week<\/a><\/span>\u2013<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0the nation’s largest celebration of environmental education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Created by NEEF and supported by Samsung, the Schoolyard STEM Lab is an outdoor classroom space\u00a0<\/span>designed to work in any climate for a hands-on, immersive environmental education experience which\u00a0<\/span>consists of a Growing Dome greenhouse where students can apply the scientific method to cultivation\u00a0<\/span>projects.\u00a0<\/span>The school\u2019s plan to have all s<\/span>tudents take part in exploring such topics as aquatic life, solar\u00a0<\/span>power and sustainability, conduct geothermal energy experiments, and conserve native plants and\u00a0<\/span>natural resources distinguished Nizhoni from the other applicants. The Growing Dome will not only help\u00a0<\/span>students better understand STEM, it will help them make the significant connections between the natural\u00a0<\/span>environment and Navajo culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to award Nizhoni with the Lab. It is a solid resource that they can use to leverage the\u00a0<\/span>natural environment to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a way that is relevant to the\u00a0<\/span>community,\u201d said Diane Wood, p<\/strong><\/span>resident of NEEF<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe thank<\/span>\u00a0Samsung for their financial support and\u00a0<\/span>Growing Spaces\u00a0<\/span>for its partnership and installation of the Schoolyard STEM Lab.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Located on Navajo Nation in northern New Mexico, Nizhoni has a vested interest in its students and the\u00a0<\/span>broader community. Considered a turnaround school, Nizhoni Elementary went from an F in 2012 to a B<\/span>in 2013 on the New Mexico Public Education Department<\/span>\u2019s School Report Cards. The school district is\u00a0<\/span>100 percent Title 1 federally funded due to the high-level poverty within the communities it serves and\u00a0<\/span>provides free breakfast and lunch to all of its students. Despite these challenges, the school is committed\u00a0<\/span>to equipping its students with the necessary knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in pursuing\u00a0<\/span>post-secondary education and early career opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nizhoni<\/a>

Nizhoni Elementary students in Shiprock, N.M., celebrate Earth Day in a special ceremony with the National Environmental Education Foundation, Samsung, and dignitaries including representatives from Senator Martin Heinrich’s and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan’s offices<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Nizhoni2\"<\/a>

Nizhoni Elementary students in Shiprock, N.M., learn about the Growing Dome on Earth Day as part of a National Environmental Education Week celebration.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cStudents at Nizhoni are eager to learn,\u201d said Principal Patsy Marquez<\/strong>. \u201cWe have been working hard to <\/span>raise our student\u2019s levels of achievement in areas like math, science<\/span>\u00a0and technology. In doing so, we <\/span>need to make sure that they have access to the tools that they need in order to learn. The Schoolyard\u00a0STEM Lab is a great tool that we can use to accelerate student learning by introducing all of our students\u00a0to the scienti<\/span>fic inquiry process within the context of the natural environment.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cT<\/span>he Schoolyard STEM Lab also provides an opportunity for students to harvest their own herbs and <\/span>vegetables which can be shared with the community and used by the school to prepare more nutritious\u00a0<\/span>meals,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0added Jennifer Choate,\u00a0<\/span>Nizhoni\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>gifted education teacher who submitted the winning application\u00a0<\/span>on behalf of the school.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Growing Dome installation began at Nizhoni Elementary on April 17 and was unveiled today in a\u00a0<\/span>formal award ceremony and community-wide celebration that was joined by local and national dignitaries\u00a0<\/span>including Carole Palmer of the NWF Education Assistant Tribal Lands Conservation Program, Professor\u00a0<\/span>Arnold Clifford of Dine College, representatives from\u00a0<\/span>Congressman Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n\u2019s and Senator Martin\u00a0<\/span>Heinrich\u2019s offices as well as representatives from\u00a0<\/span>Samsung and NEEF.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThrough hand<\/span>-on activities, students can better understand how STEM can be applied to everyday life<\/span>and help create real change in their commun<\/span>ities,\u201d said Lauren Restuccia, senior manager of corporate\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>c<\/span><\/strong>itizenship at Samsung<\/strong>. \u00a0\u201cWe have seen the transformational effect STEM\u00a0<\/span>education can have on\u00a0<\/span>students<\/span>, and we\u2019re delighted to help izhoni\u00a0<\/span>students enhance their learning this way<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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About the National Environmental Education Foundation<\/span><\/h3>\n
NEEF is the nation\u2019s leading organization in lifelong environmental learning, connecting people to\u00a0<\/span>knowledge they use to improve the quality of their lives and the health of the planet. To accomplish this,<\/span>NEEF provides knowledge to trusted professionals and other leaders who, with their credibility, amplify<\/span>messages to national audiences to solve every day environmental problems. NEEF sees a future where<\/span>by 2022, 300 million Americans actively use environmental knowledge to ensure the well-being of the<\/span>earth and its people. Learn more at\u00a0<\/span>neefusa.org<\/a><\/span>, follow NEEF on\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Facebook.com\/neefusa<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and Twitter<\/a><\/span>@neefusa<\/span>.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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National Environmental Education Week, a program of NEEF and supported by Samsung, is the nation’s\u00a0<\/span>largest celebration of environmental education. This year\u2019s theme, Surrounded by Science, is part of\u00a0<\/span>EE<\/span>Week\u2019s multi<\/span>-year focus on\u00a0<\/span>Greening STEM<\/a><\/span>. Since its inception in 2005, EE Week has delivered free,<\/span>non-biased, high-quality, environmental materials grounded in accurate, timely scientific information and<\/span>tied to local, state and national learning standards. In addition to awarding the Schoolyard STEM Lab,<\/span>NEEF is offering students and educators with access to\u00a0<\/a><\/span>downloadable toolkits<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and activity sheets,<\/span>contests,\u00a0<\/span>webinars<\/a><\/span>\u00a0about the environment and education and an opportunity to participate in its first ever\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Life on Public Lands Mission<\/a><\/span>\u201d contest<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>during this year\u2019s EE Week celebration.<\/span><\/div>\n
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About Samsung Electronics North America<\/span><\/h3>\n
Samsung Electronics North America (NAHQ), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is an arm of Samsung<\/span>Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics,\u00a0<\/span>information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung\u2019s North American\u00a0<\/span>brand management including Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Samsung Telecommunications <\/span>America, LLC and Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and<\/span>unique design, Samsung is one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. For more <\/span>information, please visit\u00a0<\/span>www.samsung.com<\/a><\/span>. You can also Fan Samsung on\u00a0<\/span>www.facebook.com\/SamsungUSA<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or follow Samsung via Twitter\u00a0<\/a><\/span>@SamsungTweets<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n
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About Nizhoni Elementary School<\/span><\/h3>\n
Nizhoni Elementary School is located in Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation in northern <\/span>New Mexico. The school serves 570 students. <\/span><\/div>\n
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Shiprock, N.M.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0April 22, 2015\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Samsung and the National Environmental Education Foundation(NEEF) awarded its first-ever Schoolyard STEM Lab to the students and teachers of Nizhoni Elementary School in Shiprock, N.M., today in celebration of the 10th annual\u00a0National Environmental Education Week\u2013\u00a0\u00a0the nation’s largest celebration of environmental education. Created by NEEF and supported by Samsung, the Schoolyard STEM Lab […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29719,17570],"tags":[34,552,832,37,35,50],"blue-badge":[],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate","category-corporate-sustainability","tag-education","tag-national-environmental-education-foundation","tag-public-affairs","tag-social-responsibility","tag-stem","tag-sustainability"],"acf":{"turn_off_retargeting":false},"fimg_mobile_url":"https:\/\/img.us.news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/15064419\/Nizhoni2-e1450834482231.jpg","fimg_url":"https:\/\/img.us.news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/15064419\/Nizhoni2-e1450834482231.jpg","primary_category":{"term_id":29719,"name":"Corporate","slug":"corporate","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":29719,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1033,"filter":"raw","term_link":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/category\/corporate\/","term_path":"corporate"},"badge":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227"},{"taxonomy":"blue-badge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blue-badge?post=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}