Judy Reeves

Reeves' "Environmental Academy" project is an environmental school, located on a wetland that is overrun with invasive species, that focuses on specific career objectives. Students in the academy take five applied science courses, work in the field to develop an 18-acre forest and wetland habitat on campus, maintain an aquaculture facility that serves the community, and participate in a work-based study program with local agency and business partners. The school has the lowest socioeconomic base, the highest dropout rate and the lowest standardized test scores in the county. Because many students have an environmental ethic and care about fishing, hunting, boating and the outdoors, this project engages them in meaningful educational experiences that keep them in school and exposes them to adults who have careers of interest.