November 16, 1999:
GLOBE Reaches Over 8000 Schools!
In classrooms worldwide, teachers are recognizing that the GLOBE Program provides students with an opportunity to learn across grade levels and in a number of disciplinary areas. On November 8, 1999, the 8000th school joined GLOBE after two elementary, two junior high, and two senior high school teachers from one school district completed a GLOBE Teacher Training Workshop hosted by the University of Montana.
"We were all very excited about the GLOBE project and wanted to get started," reported Roberta Chapman, a junior high math teacher from Frenchtown, Montana. The teachers worked successfully with their students to begin reporting data almost immediately after returning from their workshop. "We do quite a bit of environmental study work already and this fits perfectly with our current activities. We are lucky to have very supportive administrators who encourage us to expand our horizons as teachers."
Under the leadership of GLOBE U.S. Partner Director Georgia A. Cobbs, the University of Montana has already trained over 100 teachers statewide, including both pre-service and in-service teachers. In fact, the Frenchtown school district became interested in GLOBE when a University student, certified as a GLOBE teacher, began an internship in the district. "The University is based in Missoula in western Montana, but we are working on spreading GLOBE throughout the state, including in smaller communities and to schools on Indian Reservations," Dr. Cobbs explained.
By mid November 1999, nearly 12,000 teachers worldwide had attended GLOBE Training Workshops. "As someone involved in teacher programs related to environmental awareness for the past ten years, the GLOBE Program is one of the most effective in stimulating teachers to do more for their students," said Alex Philp from the University of Montana.