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Stories

MarinSEL Student Retreat: Fostering Eco-literacy and Equity Knowledge

10/20/2021

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By Nia Jones and Sean Youra

After a difficult school year of adjusting to learning virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marin School of Environmental Leadership (MarinSEL) students finally got a chance to engage with one another this summer in some hands-on learning prior to the start of the new school year. 

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MarinSEL students were reunited during the summer retreat 
Hosted by MarinSEL staff and supported by wonderful parent volunteers, the retreat held in China Camp State Park provided the opportunity for students to reconnect with their peers and with nature while engaging in activities that helped foster their teamwork and leadership skills, as well as enhance their environmental and equity knowledge. 

Over 100 students in the MarinSEL program participated in 14 different activities ranging from an exploration of personal collaboration styles to a team challenge to build the tallest freestanding tower possible using just spaghetti noodles, masking tape, string, and marshmallows. The activities were designed to focus on the “Four C’s” that represent important elements of the MarinSEL program: Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity.
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Students work on constructing the tallest tower possible 

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Youth Action Team Fights Climate Change through Art and Activism

10/1/2021

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By Beatrix Berry
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    Students at Marin School of Environmental Leadership are taking their environmental knowledge and passion outside of the classroom and into the community. Throughout the summer several MarinSEL students partnered with Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) to engage the youth community through a Youth Action Team, and they are continuing their work into this school year.
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    In the past few months, twelve students representing five schools joined the CCL Youth Action Team. Organized by MarinSEL student Harita Kalvai, this team met regularly at Panera Bread every other Saturday morning throughout the summer. During this time, students worked with CCL on a documentary spotlighting underrepresented communities in the face of the climate crisis. They had the opportunity to work with several filmmakers throughout California and are continuing to develop the script for the film. In the coming months, they will interview people in Paradise, California who were devastatingly impacted by the Camp Fire in 2018.  

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Students Leaders Spearhead Equitable Park Access

6/15/2021

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By Tyler Valdes & TTriss Williams Renard
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For over 10 years, the School of Environmental Leadership (SEL), a program of SEI, has built strong, innovative leaders who are empowered to creatively and critically analyze issues and formulate plans of action. In the spring of 2020, as growing research has demonstrated the extensive health benefits that result from exposure to outdoor environments, Marin County Parks announced the continuance of its community grant program called “Breathe/Respira!” which seeks to provide the means to help the local community have access to parks. The title symbolizes the ability of outdoor recreation and connection with nature to reduce stress and improve health with the Spanish translation of “breathe”, respira, included to underscore the importance of making parks available to all Marin communities regardless of language or cultural background. Upholding strong values of equity and inclusion, SEL was successfully awarded a grant to support equitable access to parks for underserved communities -  a project that would be spearheaded by SEL students.
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Under the guidance of SEI staff and the Marin Environmental Forum, 10th grade students in SEI’s flagship SEL -  Marin School of Environmental Leadership   (MarinSEL) - coordinated a year-long Leadership and Environmental Action Development (LEAD) project that brought students at Laurel Dell Elementary School to local green spaces. LEAD projects, a key component of SEL, are equity-forward, community-based environmental action projects that focus on policy change. While the original project design culminated in a field day for K-8 students and their families in Marin County parks, the challenge of COVID-19 restrictions called for solutions driven by creativity, a 21st century skill fostered through SEL.


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San Rafael City Schools Receives California Green Ribbon Schools Award

5/11/2021

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By Ben Bronstein

Each year, the California Department of Education presents Green Ribbon Schools awards to schools and districts that demonstrate a commitment to whole school sustainability. The Green Ribbon Schools framework is built around three pillars of sustainability goals: to reduce environmental impact and costs; to improve the health and wellness of schools, students and staff; and to provide effective environmental education. 
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On Earth Day this year, the State Superintendent announced that San Rafael City Schools’ (SRCS) High School District, along with one other district and 21 schools, received the California Green Ribbon Schools award. 
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California Green Ribbon Schools award plaque
Completing and submitting the Green Ribbon Schools application was a major project of my Climate Corps fellowship and a long-term goal of the district. The application had been in progress for a few years, so I inherited a strong draft that former Fellows put together. From there, I spent much of the fall compiling missing data and information, revising responses, and updating the application to reflect SRCS’ most recent sustainability initiatives and projects.

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Overcoming Shyness to Become an Environmental Leader and Kickstart Change

4/27/2021

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By Beatrix Berry

Entering the realm of high school, with tall 12th graders, looming assignments, and the occasional beard, can be intimidating for many. It can feel especially daunting to a student who is less vocal in a room full of new faces. Despite entering the Marin School of Environmental Leadership (MarinSEL) feeling more quiet than her classmates, Harita Kalvai, a 10th grader in MarinSEL, has risen to the occasion to lead her peers and organize local youth activism for a cause bigger than herself.
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When Harita started high school at MarinSEL two years ago, she found it difficult to stick up for herself and share her opinions. Despite her initial shyness, Harita has grown to be a vocal environmental changemaker through a number of leadership opportunities she found through MarinSEL.
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Harita with MarinSEL classmates
In a recent project for one of her MarinSEL classes, Harita and her teammates worked closely with Marin Transit to create stickers for public buses that depict COVID-safe behavior while on the bus. In this project, she took a leadership role and demonstrated her communication skills with industry professionals and community partners who are experts in their field.

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Resilience in Action: How High School Students Successfully Inspired Wildfire Preparedness during Distance Learning

1/25/2021

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By Tyler Valdes

The School of Environmental Leadership (SEL), a flagship program of SEI, is a project-based, environmentally-focused program that emphasizes development in leadership and 21st century skills. As part of the SEL, 9th grade students implement Leadership and Environmental Action Development (LEAD) Projects which take place over the course of a semester and align with environmental themes such as climate, transportation, energy, water, waste, and food. When I joined the SEI team in the summer of 2020, I quickly became involved with supporting the Marin School of Environmental Leadership (MarinSEL) based in San Rafael. As someone with a strong background in climate science and communications, I was thrilled when I was asked to serve as a community partner for the Wildfires LEAD project team.


Right away, the team of seven freshman students impressed me with their resolve, passion, and coordination. At the beginning of the semester, I saw the students excel at researching wildfire health effects, preparedness, and contributions to climate change. They reached out to experts such as Dr. Mark Stemen, Professor of Geography at Chico State University who contributed to the creation of the Cal-Adapt tool, for advice and information. Regardless of the challenges posed by social distancing and online education, the team set ambitious goals of spreading wildfire preparedness awareness to 5,000 households! However, as the semester went on and reality sunk in, the team honed in on impact rather than volume. For example, the group virtually presented their research and project progress to over 50 city officials and community members at the City of San Rafael’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) meeting in October 2020.
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A slide from a MarinSEL wildfire team presentation

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