MAEOE’S 2014 YOUTH SUMMIT: MARYLAND GREEN SCHOOLS CELEBRATE
The Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) honored the 135 schools that have successfully fulfilled the requirements of the Maryland Green Schools Program for the year 2014 at the MAEOE Green Schools Youth Summit at beautiful Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis. The Youth Summit presents students and teachers with an opportunity to be recognized for their leadership in enacting significant change in their communities, while the Summit’s interactive sessions provide a platform for them to build upon the skills and knowledge that they have already acquired during the Maryland Green Schools certification process.
The Summit featured an awards ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of the schools that were certified or recertified as Maryland Green Schools in 2014, as well as an “Environmental Literacy Fair” that offered students and teachers an opportunity to connect with organizations who can provide resources to draw from as they continue their work towards reducing the environmental impact of their school’s buildings and grounds and developing environmental literacy throughout the student body. Over 3,000 students and teachers were in attendance. Governor Martin O’Malley attended this year and last year’s Summit. He applauded the work of all Maryland Green Schools and picked up a guitar and sang of the beauty of the Watershed with the students gathered there. Check out the Governor’s speech at this year’s summit!