Rivendell Farms’ Jeffie Hardin participated in the Green Schools Teacher Network Leadership Summit on January 22-23, 2018.

As a STEM educator, Jeffie has been actively involved with work being done at a local Title 1 middle school in west Charlotte. In one of the city’s largest food deserts, Whitewater Middle School’s vision is to incorporate green, healthy and sustainable practices throughout their urban school. The teachers and students will be incorporating this knowledge into hands-on learning experiences throughout their course of studies.

Whitewater Middle School and Bruns Elementary School (another local Title 1 school) are the first STEM+E (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math + Environment) magnet programs in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School district. These programs are set to start during the 2018/2019 school year. The Leadership Summit was an opportunity for teachers to come together and discuss their approach to sustainability and how they can best collaborate.