RICHMOND, Va., April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- More than
44,000 students across six states will participate this spring in
Project Plant It!, the educational program developed by Dominion
Resources to teach third-grade students about trees and the
environment. This represents a significant increase of 20 percent
over enrollment in 2014, indicating that Project Plant It!
continues to grow every year since it began in 2007.
"Project Plant It! is one of the many ways that Dominion seeks
to partner with the communities we serve," said Jay Griles, manager of Distribution Forestry at
Dominion. "We are especially excited about the contest to honor
outstanding educators who, each year, bring science to life with
Project Plant It! Teachers are so creative and we want to hear
about the innovative ways they use the instructional materials and
activities."
For the first time, all third-graders in Virginia Beach Public Schools are
participating, adding almost 5,000 new students to Project Plant
It! In addition, the program has taken root this year in school
systems in Brunswick, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Nottoway and Southampton counties in Virginia.
Now in its ninth year, Project Plant It! provides teachers with
a variety of nature-based lesson plans and activities that
highlight the beneficial impact of trees on the ecosystem. All of
the instructional materials – including a teacher's guide with
innovative lesson plans, posters, a website with educational videos
and games, and more – support learning standards in STEM subjects
such as math and science, while also sharpening skills in language
arts and social studies.
Along with the classroom components of the free program, each
participating student will receive a tree seedling, an Eastern
Redbud, to plant at home in honor of Arbor
Day. Project Plant It! is funded by Dominion Resources,
parent company of Dominion Virginia Power, and supported through
partnerships with the national Arbor
Day Foundation and the Virginia Department of Forestry.
"Research has shown that authentic hands-on learning experiences
have a tremendous positive impact on student achievement," said
Joy Greene, E.A.G.L.E.S. Center
Coordinator (Eastern Area Grounds for Learning Environmental
Science) for Prince William County
Schools' Office of Student Learning. "This program offers a unique
cross-curricular approach to environmental education. In addition
to collaborative science research projects, students have written
stories and songs and created artwork about trees to boost
proficiency in language arts."
Laura Marshall, a third-grade
teacher at Grange Hall Elementary School in Chesterfield County, Va., added, "Through
Project Plant It!, our students learn about the value of trees,
including how they help to moderate climates, create clean air,
provide homes for wildlife and prevent soil erosion. I have also
found that the program encourages students to take initiative and
be proactive about planting the redbud seedling with their
families, inspiring them to improve the neighborhoods in their
community."
New for 2015 is a contest to find "Nature's Greatest Educator"—
awarding prizes to the teachers who most creatively incorporate
Project Plant It! into the classroom curriculum. The grand prize
winner will receive a trip for two for an exciting adventure at the
Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Neb., home of the national
Arbor Day Foundation. Details about
the contest and prizes can be found at www.ProjectPlantIt.com.
Nominations will be accepted through Friday,
May 1.
Dominion and members of its forestry team will be involved in
tree-planting events in several states to help students celebrate
Arbor Day, including the following
locations:
- Niantic Center School, Niantic,
Conn.
- Westfield Elementary School, Westfield, Pa.
- Oak Grove Elementary School, Richmond, Va.
- Appalachia Elementary School, Wise
County, Va.
Since 2007, more than 300,000 tree seedlings have been
distributed in the states where Dominion conducts business.
According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, this equates to
about 750 acres of new forest if all of the seedlings are planted
and grow to maturity.
Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and
transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 24,600
megawatts of generation, 12,200 miles of natural gas transmission,
gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,455 miles of electric
transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's
largest natural gas storage systems with 928 billion cubic feet of
storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in
13 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's
website at www.dom.com/.
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SOURCE Dominion