Krueger Middle School Receives Environmental Excellence Award

Krueger Middle School, Michigan City, won a 2013 Indiana Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. 41 organizations and companies were nominated; five won awards and Krueger was the only school included among the recipients. Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) administers the award, which is given annually to “companies or organizations that utilize innovative environmental practices through programs and technologies that reduce waste, save money and contribute greatly to Indiana’s environmental protection efforts. These successful projects benefit the health and welfare of Indiana’s communities and the state as a whole.”

Krueger is fortunate to be situated on a 100-acre campus, which it has turned into an Outdoor Environmental Science Center. Krueger worked with a number of partners on the project, including the Michigan City Forest Service, Purdue University North Central, Save the Dunes, and the La Porte County Soil and Water Conservation District. Together they developed a comprehensive curriculum which incorporates environmental education into many aspects of learning, from math to biology to writing to carpentry.

Krueger provides experiential learning that includes days in the field with older students leading classes for younger students. Students learn about a wide variety of topics such as natural habitats for plants and animals to soil and water testing. Plans include a butterfly garden they hope to complete within the next few years.

“Students are more engaged and ISTEP scores have improved too. And not just in the science classes. Journal writing, for instance, we feel has been one of the things that has caused an increase in the overall writing and English scores”, explained Jones.

Submitted by Kathy Sipple