Cindy Lee

Through Lee's innovative program, "Students Getting Involved: A Study of Ecosystems in Southwest New Mexico", seventh and eighth-grade students will have an opportunity to apply their science classroom knowledge to in-the-field situations. Lee's program, which will allow students to investigate ecosystems in southwest New Mexico, showcases the benefits of combining in-the-classroom and in-the-field learning. Students will work in cooperative groups to study a specific ecosystem and apply their science classroom knowledge to their findings in the field. While in the field, professionals from the U.S. Forest Service, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico Soil and Water Conservation Department will guide the students as they identify the living organisms in their ecosystems. Students will keep notebooks about their ecosystem with research from the classroom and the field. They will also use digital cameras and other technology to document their findings. The final component of the program is the students' recommendations for service learning activities that focus on stewardship of their ecosystem. After completing their service learning activity, the students will make multimedia presentations to parents and the community. Lee hopes her program will give students experience-based learning activities that will instill a feeling of stewardship for the environment. Lee resides in Mimbres.