Pacific Education Institute

PEI's South Sound Regional Coordinator Lauren Troyer and Multicultural Engagement Coordinator Lourdes Flores were on hand during Timberline High School's Billy Frank Jr. Day celebration. Families enjoyed learning about the function of stomata within plant leaves while observing it through the microscope. Stomata are tiny pores on the surface of plants that capture CO2 and produce oxygen. Visitors also created colorful salmon art using leaf prints. Thanks to North Thurston Public Schools for inviting us!

From PEI's Northwest FieldSTEM Coordinator @AmyKeiper-Gowan: "I had a great day volunteering with Conservation Club KidWind Competition, a hands-on design competition where student teams showcase their small-scale wind turbines and solar structure designs. The event was hosted at Tulalip Heritage High School for elementary school students and coordinated and facilitated by high school teacher Christie Ryba-Johnson. A Seattle WSU Extension Engineer was at the event running a 4-foot wind tunnel to test student turbine designs and gear ratio choice and measure the wattage output of each wind turbine. So cool!"

Southwest Washington teachers, here is an opportunity for student artists: Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group is holding an art/poetry contest to design their new #SeedstoSalmon logo. Spread the word!

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP) and Frontier Middle School Students continued their work of learning about and engaging in Restoration Ecology by planting native trees and shrubs at #SalmonCreek on 2/18 + 2/19. Prior to their planting field trip, LCEP educator Andy Bauer led the students through a "math planting" lesson in which students calculated how many native shrubs and trees were needed per acre and looked through native plant guides to select which plants would work for the given conditions. They also had a native educator, Sam Robinson, Chairman of the #ChinookIndianTribe visit the class and give context to the indigenous history of the land and how native plants have been and continue to be utilized by indigenous people in the region. In March the students will take a look at #naturalresourcescareers and the possible paths into natural resource careers.

https://lnkd.in/gGyR_NA9 The spring equinox is nearly upon us and nature is living up to its reputation for spring showers. This makes it a great time for a Rainfall Field Investigation! This 3rd through 5th-grade resource asks students to consider the question: what is the effect of conifer tree cover versus no cover on the amount of rain that reaches the ground?

https://lnkd.in/gJZYvesU Guess what this Vermont school used to transform early release days? Project WILD. From the article: "Even through a cold Vermont winter, these days present an opportunity to get kids outside, to build school community, and to incorporate multiple subjects in a single lesson." Teachers, if you're interested in this approach to learning, contact us! PEI is the statewide coordinator for Project Wild in Washington.

Anacortes area teachers, please spread the word. On March 31st, 9-12 year olds can attend a FREE workshop at Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes led by Western Washington University students in Dr. Sarah Voss' class. Participants will get their feet wet with the #ExploretheSalishSea curriculum, build their own ROVs and learn about Coast Salish traditional engineering knowledge. This is a great opportunity for budding engineers and environmental scientists!

“The more I looked into it, I found that going to a four-day workweek has impacts on the environment,” explained Heritage High School student and Tulalip tribal member Raylea Freiburg at the 2025 Environmental & Sustainability Literacy Student Summit, “on mitigating greenhouse gases, mitigating traffic congestion and making sure that we’re connected to our [tribal] sovereignty. Taking that time to rest and making sure you’re a capable community means that you can live a sustainable life.” Enjoy a deeper look at some of the teams and projects at PEI and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)'s student summit in January in this article from our February newsletter. https://lnkd.in/g9i2xgws

https://lnkd.in/dXW3Kh3w Resource Monday: PEI's Career Cards are a great way to introduce students of all ages to potential careers in conservation and natural resources. They include a real-life Washington State professional sharing information about what a typical day looks like, what path they took to arrive at this job, the type of work they do, and important skills and tools of the trade. Bring learning to life with a little help from our community partners!

https://lnkd.in/gRgC5nhc Support for the benefits of PEI's #GreenJobs program and #CTEframeworks for #NaturalResources and #Conservation. From the article: "Meeder’s Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce . . . [advocates] for career-connected learning models that integrate career exploration directly into education alongside aptitude identification and skills development. He argues that the key is hands-on learning, giving students real-world experiences that align with their aptitudes and interests. The success of Career and Technical Education programs illustrates this principle. Barton recounts, “All the time, we hear stories of students who struggle in school, failing traditional courses, but then they enroll in a construction program and suddenly thrive. They’re doing complex math in context, and it finally clicks for them.” This shift highlights how contextualized, hands-on learning can unlock students’ potential by making education more relevant to their interests and abilities. Barton adds, “The more exposure we provide students, the more opportunities they have to identify their aptitudes and interests aligned with those aptitudes. That’s what true workforce readiness entails.”