RINCON – Jessica Lyons, a 10th and 11th grade environmental and physical science teacher at South Effingham High School, has been selected by Georgia-Pacific to attend Keystone Science School’s 2017 Key Issues Institute: Bringing Environmental Issues to the Classroom this summer in Silverthorne, CO.
Held every June and July, the Key Issues Institute program brings together K-12 educators from around the world for a highly interactive four-and-a-half-day workshop.
The program is designed to help teachers of all subjects bring environmental issues and STEM-based learning (science, technology, engineering and math) to the classroom.
Teachers learn to present scientific concepts in an unbiased way to their students while discovering ways to boost their students’ critical thinking skills.
Lyons is one of 14 teachers sponsored to attend Key Issues Institute from Georgia-Pacific’s facility communities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
“Georgia-Pacific is committed to being environmentally responsible, and an investment in helping our teachers as they work to bring important environmental issues into our classrooms is an important part of that commitment,” Rob Shaw, vice president of manufacturing at Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River Mill said. “We’re proud to support this unique learning opportunity at Keystone Science School, which gives teachers creative tools to bring environmental learning to life.”
At Key Issues Institute, teachers work in teams to solve ‘real-life’ scenarios and bring home lesson plans and lab kits designed to engage students and apply what they’ve learned to their local classrooms.
The Institute also coordinates ongoing support from other educators and instructors online.
Since 1997, Georgia-Pacific has sponsored more than 200 teachers from its facility communities across the country to attend Keystone Science School.
Lyons was recently recognized for her selection and participation by both Shaw and Dr. Randy Shearouse, superintendent of Effingham County schools.
“The Effingham County School District is extremely fortunate to have a strong partnership with Georgia-Pacific, and we are particularly honored that they have selected one of our own educators, Mrs. Lyons, to participate with the Keystone Science School,” Shearouse said. “I feel confident that this remarkable opportunity will allow Mrs. Lyons to share meaningful information with her students concerning current environmental issues. We thank Georgia-Pacific for investing in the ongoing education of our students and teachers.”
Follow teachers in June and July through their Key Issues Institute experience by visiting
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