Disney's Environmental Challenge Contest

From the State Supt. desk:

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the California Department of Education is collaborating with The Walt Disney Company and the K-12 Alliance of state and federal agencies on the Disney's Planet Challenge contest.

"California has a legacy of leadership on the environment, science, and technology, that have made the state one of the most hypercompetitive economies in the world," said O'Connell. "This contest will offer teachers a new science tool and a fresh way to motivate their students' creativity about how to protect their environment. I urge all schools to challenge themselves and participate in this nationwide competition."

            Disney launched the nationwide project-based environmental competition last week for fourth through sixth grade classrooms. The goal is to empower students to make a difference in school, at home, and in their local communities. Disney developed the new competition in response to a growing demand across all 50 states. The entertainment company has more than 15 years experience running highly-acclaimed classroom environmental competitions in regional markets including California and Florida as the Disney's Environmentality Challenge®. Contest collaborators are the California Department of Education, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife, K-12 Alliance, and other state and federal government agencies. This collaboration ensures the highest environmental standards and excellence in science education that adheres to the specific educational standards of each state,

The Disney's Planet Challenge Web site provides tailored lesson plans customized to reflect the curriculum standards of each state for fourth through sixth grade levels. Teachers can easily find and download relevant lessons to help them link their class project to their state standards. The Web site also includes a range of multimedia features that allow students to tap into their digital creativity and create an online portfolio by uploading class work, videos, photos, charts, news articles, and other documents. Classrooms that choose to maintain digital portfolios have the environmentally-friendly option of submitting their paperless projects via the Web site. 

Students are asked to identify an environmental issue for the project in their local community and come up with a solution that they manage and document from start to finish. Past examples range from implementing campus-wide water conservation programs and electronics recycling drives to protecting local habitats. Classrooms will develop a portfolio that will be evaluated on environmental-relevance; student learning; changes in practices and attitudes; community involvement; lasting benefits to students, school, and/or community; and originality. Participation in the program is free.

Prizes will be awarded to all students and teachers who submit a project regardless of their rankings. National, regional, and state winners will receive a variety of Disney prizes including a class celebration at Disneyland® for the national grand prize champion. The winning class will also have a chance to meet a Disney Channel star, and the class and its winning project may be featured on the Disney Channel. Other prizes include thousands of dollars in classroom grants and more. Additionally, winning teachers will receive a one year NSTA membership. The grand-prize winning educator will also receive an expense paid trip to the national 2011 NSTA conference where the teacher will be recognized at the NSTA awards banquet. 

The deadline to enroll in the contest is December 18, 2009. The portfolio submission deadline is February 26, 2010. Winners will be announced in April 2010. The grand prize celebration will occur in May 2010. For more information about the Disney Planet Challenge, please visit www.Disney.com/planetchallenge.