FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Quechee, VT

October 30, 2006

Teresa Mitchell of Weathersfield, Vermont, Appointed as VINS' Director of Education Programs, Will Lead Major Expansion of VINS' Environmental-Education Programs

Quechee, VT - The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) announces the appointment of Teresa L. Mitchell as Director of Education Programs. Mitchell most recently worked for the US Partnership for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and was hired in July to help lead VINS' signature Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) program. Now, as director of all education programs at VINS, Mitchell will lead a major expansion of the organization's environmental-education programs for schools and communities throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as for the general public at the VINS Nature Center in Quechee, Vermont. Many of VINS' expanded education programs will be available by June 2007.

VINS' expansion of education programs will build on the strengths of its ELF model, among other initiatives, adding current best practices and technologies in environmental education. The expansion will establish a continuum of integrated instructional offerings for students from the pre-K through adult levels. Curricula for VINS' in-school programs – such as ELF (for elementary school students), Small Wonders (for preschool students), and Environmental Citizenship (for middle school students) – will be refreshed and updated to be consistent with new state education standards. Many of the expanded education programs will draw new content and instructional resources from VINS' conservation biology research and wildlife rehabilitation programs.


Teresa Mitchell's Background
Until her appointment at VINS, Mitchell served as Co-Chair of the K-12 sector of the US Partnership for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. She has extensive experience in professional educator development, student and program assessment, curriculum development, and program implementation for interdisciplinary teams. She has worked as a classroom teacher in Alaska and Washington, and as a curriculum evaluator for the Center for Environmental Education Online at Antioch New England Graduate School. She is a certified teacher in both Vermont and New Hampshire. Mitchell earned her MS in Environmental Education at Antioch, a BEd in Secondary Education at the University of Alaska, and a BA in History at Portland State University.

Support from the Wellborn Ecology Fund Planning for the expansion of VINS' environmental-education programs is funded in part by a generous grant from the Wellborn Ecology Fund (WEF), a longtime partner of VINS in environmental-education program development. WEF, a special fund of the Upper Valley Region of the NH Charitable Foundation, is dedicated to increasing environmental and ecological knowledge in the Upper Valley. WEF was established through a bequest from Marguerite Wellborn, a resident of Hanover, New Hampshire, who was an avid naturalist with an enduring passion for studying and protecting the natural world.

With WEF's partnership and under Mitchell's leadership, VINS will incorporate into its environmental-education curricula new learning technologies and standards, as well as current educational content from VINS' leading education, conservation biology research, and wildlife rehabilitation programs.

"VINS is an incredibly valuable institution, and its work in the Upper Valley is very much in line with the goals of the Wellborn Ecology Fund," said Kevin Peterson, senior program officer for the NH Charitable Foundation's Upper Valley Region. "We are pleased to help VINS expand its capacity to deliver a broad spectrum of environmental-education programs in collaboration with schools, communities, and other partners. The more people who are exposed to high-quality outdoor learning, the better!"

Program Roll-Out to Start by June 2007
VINS will proceed with its education program expansion in two phases. Phase I, taking place October through December 2006, will involve detailed planning and targeted fundraising to support later program implementation. In Phase II, starting in early 2007 and continuing through the spring, VINS will work with current and new partners in schools and communities throughout Vermont and New Hampshire to complete the preparations and begin delivering its expanded programs by June.

“Not only will we be expanding existing VINS programs, like our award-winning ELF program, we also will create new and innovative educational offerings for preschool through adult audiences. We will infuse VINS' education programs – including those in schools, in communities, and at the VINS Nature Center – with the work of our conservation biologists and avian rehabilitation experts,” said Teresa Mitchell. “This approach will take better advantage of VINS' unique strengths and allow us to create exceptional environmental-education content for our programs. At such a critical time, we really want to raise the bar for environmental literacy for all age groups in Vermont and New Hampshire.”

Tradition and Experience
VINS has been one of the New England region's leading environmental-education organizations for more than 30 years. VINS' signature ELF program has long been recognized as a model of effective environmental education for school children. Pioneered by Jenepher Lingelbach, one of VINS' founders and current trustees, ELF's hands-on approach to learning has reached teachers, parents, and children across Vermont, as well as in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Outside New England, VINS' ELF curriculum has been adapted for schools in Colorado and Michigan and has been translated into Chinese by the government of the People's Republic of China.

“The seeds of VINS' first education program, ELF, were planted 35 years ago by parents in Woodstock, Vermont, who wanted their children to learn about the natural world through firsthand experiences. This is perhaps the secret of VINS' success. The ladder of programs for students has been built rung by rung as parents and teachers said, 'We need more.' The impact of all VINS programs over these many years can not be quantified, but an ever increasing commitment by individuals and communities to caring for their environment indicates many levels of success. With new initiatives and expanded partnerships, it is exciting to see VINS poised to move forward with new programs that combine the latest information with innovative and effective ways to teach and to learn,” said Jenepher Lingelbach, ELF Founder, former VINS Executive Director, and current VINS Trustee.

Last spring, several educators left VINS to form their own organization to deliver programs in schools modeled after VINS' ELF program. This provided VINS with the opportunity to examine the full scope of its environmental-education programs – not just those delivered in schools – to ensure the programs contribute directly to VINS' mission and integrate with VINS' conservation biology research and wildlife rehabilitation work.

“Environmental-education programs like VINS' ELF program have set the standard for the past three decades,” observed VINS President John Dolan. “VINS' evolving vision for environmental education now goes beyond ELF and other stand-alone models. We brought on Teresa Mitchell to lead the way in realizing this vision. She will help bring the recognized expertise of VINS conservation biologists into our education programs. She will help VINS establish new collaborations with other environmental and conservation organizations in Vermont and New Hampshire. The expanded breadth and depth of our environmental-education programs – whether delivered in schools, at community locations around Vermont and New Hampshire, at the VINS Nature Center, or in partnership with other groups – will draw on our best assets and continue our leadership in environmental education for all age groups.”

Founded in 1972, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) is a non-profit 501(c)3, member-supported organization headquartered in Quechee, Vermont. VINS' mission is to protect our natural heritage through education and research designed to engage individuals and communities in active care of the environment.

Contacts

John Dolan, President, jdolan@vinsweb.org, 802-457-1053 x106
Teresa Mitchell, Director of Education Programs, tmitchell@vinsweb.org, 802-457-1053 x116
Karen Keane, Director of Development and Communications, kkeane@vinsweb.org, 802-457-1053 x117