Audubon In the Schools Flourishing

The Audubon in the Schools program has blossomed over the last year. In 2018, the volunteer team visited 12 schools, and taught 722 students! So far in 2019 AITS has visited 7 other schools, with more requests for each month left of the school year. 

Keeping the program energized is the awesome team of AITS Instructors: Kathy Wilson, Barb Pope, Marty Merrill, and Rose Britton. Our current assistants are Janet Barnes, LaRue Rodgers, Joe Britton, and Laurie Costa. We also have a new volunteer, Pam Sheridan, who hopes to do school visits this month. Janet Barnes also serves as database manager, tracking the visits and tallying the numbers. Barb Pope is handling the initial scheduling with the schools. Kathy Wilson keeps our supplies organized, and the whole team works to make sure everything is ready to go for the next visit. Rose Britton has fine-tuned a PowerPoint presentation for each of the two lessons: “Feathers” and “Birds and Ecosystems.” We have had enthusiastic feedback from teachers and students.

LCAS has ordered copies of Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature by Margriet Ruurs (Orca Book Publishers) to donate to AITS classrooms that have had program visits this year. The book can be a lasting inspiration for the kids to explore nature and see it in new ways.

The AITS team meets when needed to plan for upcoming school visits and to share information. The group is wonderfully communicative, cooperative, supportive, creative, and engaged! They work together to problem solve, share ideas, develop new methods, and build the program. Good job, AITS Team!
—Maeve Sowles