FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 17, 2016
SUMMER ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM HELPS TO
BRIDGE STUDENTS’ LEARNING GAPS
~DEP's Northeast District Staff Conduct Environmental Education Activities at
Jacksonville Police Athletic League's STEAM Summer Camp~
 Event at the Jacksonville Police Athletic League's Monument Road location.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection’s Northeast District partnered for a third consecutive
year with Jacksonville’s Police Athletic League to help ensure students
are better prepared to start this new school year. As part of the league’s
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) summer camp program,
district staff taught hundreds of students ways to protect Florida’s water,
land and air.
“It is important for us to show our students and future leaders
the value of protecting Florida’s natural resources,” said DEP Northeast District
Director Greg Strong. “DEP’s Northeast District is proud to promote
conservation and responsible practices by providing environmental education to
students in our community through this program and throughout the year.”
Staff educated summer camp participants on the value of protecting the environment, utilizing fun, educational interactive activities on topics such as recycling
and water conservation. DEP’s Northeast District has an energetic passion for providing
educational outreach to the communities they serve, and efforts such as supporting the STEAM program create strong community
partnerships that safeguard Florida’s natural resources by educating future generations.
The Police Athletic
League’s STEAM summer camp is a fun, six-week hands-on activity program centered on an innovative curriculum that was started to help curb students’ learning loss during the summer. Each week students engage
in an array of academic skill-building activities that spark their imagination,
such as building robots out of recyclable materials or crafting edible treats.
| 
