Back in Boston

Hello blog readers!

We are back in Boston! After a visit with her parents in New Jersey for Terri and visit to New York for Danielle, we are once again in full swing and getting ready for the school year to begin! We have so much to do – set up our classroom (turning it into Kenya personified, of course); prepare to present about our project and vision for future school community engagement next week to our fellow Henderson teachers, therapists, and staff; and, search and apply for more grants and funding to keep the project moving full steam ahead. We have a few leads that we are pursuing and applications that we are currently working on, thanks to some of our readers' helpful suggestions, but if you know of any other grants or potential partners out there, please let us know!

Yesterday, we attended the Boston Green Festival. We were able to gather helpful information and learn about local resources that will aid us in our upcoming school year’s comparative study of temperate and tropical ecosystems. We were especially intrigued by the Earthwatch Institute, who is currently operating a black rhino conservation project in Ol Pejeta Conservancy (our second safari destination) and working with the Maasai in Samburu (southeastern Kenya) to save the endangered Grevy’s zebra and learn about Maasai medicinal plants. (See our blog posts “Truly Equatorial” and “Maasai Natural Resources and Remedies” below.) They also have six projects in the United States surrounding the effects of human activities on temperate ecosystems. Since Earthwatch’s national headquarters is here in Boston, the representatives at the Green Fest graciously offered to be a local resource for our Henderson students.

We were also honored to receive an award for our submissions to the Boston Public Schools EcoPhoto Contest for our 2009-2010 class’ eco-friendly and globally conscious projects. (See more about the projects at our website: http://boston.k12.ma.us/Henderson/gogreen.htm )

Above, is a photo of us receiving our award at the Eco Stage at Boston City Hall with Mrs. Patricia Lampron, Henderson School principal, Mr. Irvin Scott, Boston Public Schools’ Chief Academic Officer, and Mr. Dan Durica, General Manager of Boston Borders (who kindly donated our winning prize).