By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
MIAMI | St. Michael the Archangel School has been named a Silver Level Everglades Champion School, becoming the first Catholic school in southeast Florida to receive an Everglades Champion Designation.
“We will receive a banner later this summer to hang at the school along with a formal certificate,” said St. Michael’s principal, Lisette Reina-Naranjo. “I am so proud of our teachers, staff and students for their hard work and dedication in making us champions.”
She noted that even though St. Michael is not a STREAM school (which stands for Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, Math), teachers have been incorporating STREAM into the curriculum, especially during this project.
“All our students were a part of this,” Reina-Naranjo said.
Indeed, 100% of St. Michael’s students received lessons on the Everglades, and 95% of the teachers were trained in Everglades literacy.
The lessons and projects included classifying Everglades animals and their habitats, studying the Everglades food chain, a prayer service on Earth Day focused on St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si, entering Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer’s "Every Drop Counts" poster contest and a beach clean-up.
“The culmination was an Everglades Exhibit night where parents were able to come and see all the projects,” said Reina-Naranjo.
The Everglades Champion program is sponsored by the Everglades Foundation, a non-profit founded 30 years ago to lead efforts to restore and protect the greater Everglades ecosystem. The K-12 Everglades Champion Schools Program is designed to showcase and recognize exceptional Everglades literacy efforts in a school.
The virtual celebration of the champions took place June 5, 2023.
There will be a free Everglades Symposium on July 18, on “The Power of Water,” at FIU’s Biscayne Campus.
“We already have five or six teachers registered to attend,” Reina-Naranjo said. “I hope more schools become involved and learn about the importance of our Everglades to the people of South Florida.”
FIND OUT MORE
- For those interested, registration for the symposium is at https://www.evergladesliteracy.org/teacher-symposium-2023
- Schools interested in next year’s challenge can find the information at https://www.evergladesliteracy.org/.
