Dear Parents,
We are very excited to announce a unique and innovative learning experience your ninth grade son/daughter will be participating in the second semester as part of the Pre-IB program. It is a project entitled “Lincoln Fit4Earth: The Ninth Grade Biodiversity Challenge.” The goal of this project is to immerse students in a learning environment that builds their academic skills across all the disciplines—science, language, math, social studies and art. It also offers opportunities to address student’s different interests and talents.
The ninth grade teachers have designed Fit4Earth to combine the principles of interdisciplinary, project based learning in a setting that utilizes scientists, authentic research sites, and state-of-the-art technology. This experience will give them the opportunity to think like scientists, live scientific experiences and communicate in a scientific mode in a “real world” setting. Students will also examine what scientists do in their daily work to confront problems such as the recovery of degraded habitats, carbon neutral sequestration programs, and sustainability. Additionally, students will learn to make connections to the other disciplines and will engage in relevant service learning activities in the community.
What makes this all possible is the availability of the University of Georgia (UGACR). The campus is located in the cloud forest reserve in Monteverde, which holds 5% of the world’s biodiversity. The ninth grade teachers have been working with the staff of UGACR to be able to offer our students this hands-on, first class interdisciplinary program. This alliance between Lincoln and UGACR is ideal not only because of the location of the campus in Monteverde, but also because students will be able to interact with world class scientists and experts who are conducting research in the forest reserve. Our students will be able to use the same cutting edge technology and tools and follow some of the same procedures the scientists do.
The Fit4Earth project will take place at the UGACR campus from April 25-30, 2011. The Monteverde campus has the academic and physical infrastructure needed for an intensive one week scientific field experience for the ninth grade generation, including classrooms, sleeping accommodations and a cafeteria.
The total cost of this for six days and 5 nights activity is $255 ($125 to be paid in February and $130 in April). This reasonable fee includes lodging, all meals, transportation, access to all the University’s facilities and equipment, and, most importantly, the opportunity to learn and work with renowned experts in various fields.
We cordially invite you to an informational meeting on the Fit4Earth project at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 27th in the school cafetorium.
