Louisville, KY

Jefferson County Public Schools

I went up to Louisville, KY at the invitation of Dr. David Wicks, director of environmental education for the Jefferson County Public Schools. He arranged for me to speak in a couple of classrooms on the second day of school (8/16). What a great way to start off the year! I started off both of my presentations by asking the kids to think about this question- "What does it mean to live your dreams?"

In the above photo I am speaking at Jeffersontown High School to a freshman/sophomore applied technology class taught by Victor Kustes. I talked about the basics of solar panels and the power requirements needed for my project. Students also got a geography lesson. Dr. Wicks gave me the great suggestion to have the students trace my route on a map of the U.S. as I described it to them. Then, thinking about the physical features of the country, they had to make educated guesses about where I biked the farthest in one day, where I went the fastest, where I reached the highest elevation, etc.

Here I am with a "team" of sixth graders at Westport Middle School.

During my visit Dr.Wicks also showed me some of the places that the students get to enjoy on field trips. Blackacre State Nature Preserve is a farm that also has nature trails. I got to help groom these horses while I was there.

Even closer to downtown Louisville, I visited the Louisville Nature Center (LNC). LNC is a precious reserve amidst increasing suburban development.

LNC has a beautiful forested trail lined with flowering plants such as this one below.

I don't know what type of flower this is so let me know if you do!

To learn more about environmental education in the Jefferson County Public Schools, Blackacre Preserve, or the Louisville Nature Center, please contact Dr. Wicks at dmwick01@athena.louisville.edu.
Wicks is also the president of the North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) and teaches at the University of Louisville Center for Environmental Education.

Mike@Kahncious.Net

Environmental Volunteers
3921 E. Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 961-0545, (650) 961-0548 fax
www.EVols.org, info@EVols.org