DEQ Secretary Regan Recognizes Environmental Educator Cynelsa Broderick

On March 12, DEQ Secretary Michael Regan visited SEEDS, an urban garden and kitchen classroom in the heart of Durham, to recognize SEEDS staff member Cynelsa Broderick for completing the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification.

Founded in 1994, SEEDS has a mission to develop the capacity of young people to respect life, the earth, and each other through growing, cooking, and sharing food. SEEDS is located on a two-acre plot in Northeast Central Durham. Over the past 25 years, SEEDS has grown and developed to meet the changing needs of the community, particularly by adding an after-school program for children in first through fifth grades.

Cynelsa currently serves as the Operations and Administrative Coordinator for SEEDS, where she staffs the front desk, manages the office, and works in the educational garden and kitchen classroom. Cynelsa started the certification program while serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Conservation Trust for North Carolina. She has also worked in the NC State University Sustainability Office. Cynelsa is an accomplished visual artist and calligrapher and is passionate about making connections between STEM and the arts.

For her community partnership project, Cynelsa developed and presented 14 classes as part of the SEEDS summer camp. During the classes, students recorded observations in a nature log and worked together to design a new mural for the SEEDS building. The classes helped the youth participants experience nature, gardening, and cooking in a new way that combined art with gardening and environmental education.

Describing the classes, Cynelsa stated, "The objective was for students to learn what important details to capture in their observations and how to transfer them to our mural. Each week, I worked with about 20 young farmers and went through lessons that touched on topics from environmental stewardship to color theory, patents to biomimicry." As a result of Cynelsa's project, SEEDS has new curriculum materials and a colorful new mural on what was once a dull, blank wall.

Cynelsa said her favorite part of the certification program was traveling to different parts of the state. "Visiting so many state parks and meeting new people was a good way for me to become familiar with North Carolina."

Her experiences in the certification program also led Cynelsa to become a more versatile teacher. "I discovered various styles and ways people learn through this program and that has helped me be more aware of my methods in teaching others."

Participants in the SEEDlings after-school enrichment program for grades 1-5 students gave N.C. DEQ Secretary Regan some hands-on agricultural education! SEEDS also has programs for middle and high school Students and workshops and volunteer opportunities for adults. 

For more information about SEEDS, visit seedsnc.org. For more information about the NC Environmental Education Certification, visit the NC Office of Environmental Education website.

Department of Environmental Quality Hosts Wake County Middle School Students for Students@Work℠

On March 5, the Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Environmental Education hosted over 30 students from Moore Square Magnet Middle School for Students@Work℠ Month.

Students@Work℠ serves a critical role in our state's work-based learning efforts by helping local students become aware of potential careers and the necessary skillsets for those careers. Throughout the month of March, students will hear from guest speakers and take part in worksite visits where they learn firsthand about the careers available in their communities.

Upon arriving at DEQ's Green Square building in downtown Raleigh, students heard an inspiring speech from DEQ Secretary Michael Regan. Secretary Regan told the group about how we became involved in the environmental field and explained the career path that led him to DEQ.

Next, students participated in informational breakout sessions with staff from different DEQ divisions. Elliot Tardif and Tira Beckham from the Division of Air Quality showed the middle school students how the division forecasts the air quality index and explained why data manipulation is an important skill for many careers.

Students joined Amanda Mueller, Kristie Gianopulos, and Greg Rubino from the Division of Water Resources on an exciting journey through North Carolina's wetlands through the use of an online, interactive map. Marty Wiggins and Sarah Sanford from the Office of Environmental Education led a building tour where students learned about the Green Square building's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

The morning concluded with an informative session with Human Resources Director Ursula Hairston. Ursula helped the students connect their passions and interests with potential careers and explained the types of qualifications necessary for working in the STEM field.

The Students@Work℠ program is a joint initiative between the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The 2019 Students@Work℠ initiative includes more than 280 businesses and 46,000 students statewide.

For more information about the Department's participation in Students@Work℠ Month, contact the Office of Environmental Education at 919-707-8125. For more information about NCBCE, visit ncbce.org.