Kristie Letter, Cindy Guajardo and Bayley Zubler

The team’s creative teaching idea, “Tech-Enabled Teaching Forest and Makerspace,” focuses on using an innovative approach to inspire students to become “changemakers” for solving the current environmental inequity in Colorado. By creating a makerspace within a tech-enabled teaching forest and technology lab available to K-12 teachers in their district, this trio of innovation educators will use the Voya Unsung Heroes grant to purchase computers and other necessary materials. Students will be able to engage in hands-on, tech-enabled problem-solving lessons to further nature-based climate solutions. In addition, the project will promote mentoring opportunities between middle and elementary school students and activate real-world solutions to enact in the community.