Earth Force was among 30 organizations honored by Alexandria City Public Schools on May 26 at the 2009 Partners in Education Breakfast and Awards Ceremony. The ACPS Partners in Education awards recognize community partners and businesses for their contributions to the school system and the community. Capital Region Earth Force Program Manager Jessica Bromelkamp was in attendance to receive the award.
Earth Force was nominated for the award by Francis C. Hammond Middle School science teacher Nancy Bort, whose 7th grade students used Earth Force’s six-step community problem-solving approach to address pollution in a nearby waterway. Students in Ms. Bort’s classes made and distributed reusable grocery bags and produced a video highlighting the issue of trash in Holmes Run (learn more about these projects here).
In his keynote address, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine noted a general decline in the percentage of U.S. students continuing to higher education, adding, "the race only gets tougher, and the hill only gets steeper, but partnerships like this are what is going to change the percentage."
Pictured above (L to R) are Earth Force’s Jessica Bromelkamp, Hammond Middle School Principal Sara Schafer, Teacher Nancy Bort, School Board Chair Yvonne Folkerts, and Superintendent Morton Sherman.