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Author: Mara Spears, CEP Project Specialist Staff, Elana Burns, Communications Content Student Assistant

From Groundswell to You

   February Professional Learning Recap

   March Professional Learning Opportunity

   2026 Student Project Showcase

   GVSU Seeking Mentor Teachers

   Summer Institute 2026 Save the Date

   Tracking PBE Hours

Friends of Groundswell

   Volunteer Stewardship with the Michigan DNR

   Michigan Student Sustainability Summit

   Michigan Vernal Pools Partnership

   Professional Learning Courses for Science Teachers

Bridget Booth, active Michigan Middle School teacher, led participants in an overview of the impact of teaching climate change. Attendees shared why the topic is important and discussed challenges they face in bringing climate change into their classrooms. Bridget then guided participants through the SubjectToClimate Michigan Hub, highlighting available lessons and how to access them. Participants shared successes and challenges before breaking into small groups to discuss effective strategies currently used in climate change education. The session concluded with an engaging whole-group discussion based on insights from the breakout conversations.

Join your peers as we learn about Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) framework and explore ways educators can implement it with students. Participants will learn about the core components of a MWEE, including learner-centered investigations of local environmental issues that lead to civic action. This PLO will be facilitated by Amanda Syers, Science Education Specialist for the Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI); Amanda is an expert in pK12 watershed stewardship connections and an experienced presenter. 

The evening will include hands-on MWEE activities both indoors and outdoors; we'll conduct water sampling and provide time to explore how the MWEE framework aligns with academic standards. Join us to learn how to use this great resource to support environmental literacy, stewardship, and civic responsibility.

To learn more and RSVP, click the button below. 

    Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026

    Time: 4:30PM - 6:30PM

    Location: The Corner Bar (31 N Main St, Rockford, MI 49341)

    Cost: $0

    SCECH: 2

Student Project Showcase, held each May, is a public celebration that brings together students, educators, families, community partners, and supporters. Students from participating pK12 schools present their stewardship projects in an interactive, exhibit-style format at GVSU’s Downtown Campus, sharing work focused on topics such as watershed health, native plants benefits, composting, and more. The event highlights student learning and achievement and gives these young stewards the opportunity to engage with the public, hosting an exhibit table alongside local organizations and businesses they have worked with over the past year. Guests are invited to tour exhibits, learn directly from students, enjoy a  pizza dinner, play yard games, and take part in hands-on activities throughout the event. Join Groundswell as our community comes together to celebrate the next generation of environmental leaders.

RSVPs and program information coming soon!

    Date: Wednesday, May 13th, 2026

    Time: 5:00PM - 6:30PM

    Location: 401 Fulton St. W, Grand Rapids MI 49504

    Cost: $0

Photo provided by Insight into Academia 

Educators, are you interested in hosting a teacher candidate in your classroom this fall? GVSU is preparing to partner our teacher candidates with K-12 mentor teachers for their fall 2026 apprenticeship or internship clinical field experience.  Who better to guide a soon-to-be teacher through one of their final formative experiences than a Groundswell educator? If you’re interested, please connect with your building administrator. Building administrators receive requests from GVSU’s Placement Specialists. Groundswell supports our GVSU Education Programs as they seek recommendations of educators interested in mentoring a teacher candidate for the fall semester.

Mark your calendars, Summer Institute will be here before you know it! We are excited to host our annual summer workshop for our network educators and partners in late July. The workshop will focus on civic engagement for stewardship projects and how to impact your local community through stakeholder presentations and policy changes. So join us for immersive learning, foundations of quality place-based education, and project preparation for the year. 

This year's Summer Institute marks the first offering in our soon-to-be required summer workshops and eventual required PLOs as part of a program update at our organization. To read about the new participation requirements for our program, click the button below.

    Dates: Tuesday July 28, Wednesday July 29. Thursday July 30, 2026

    Time: 8:30AM - 3:30PM

    Location: 50 Front Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

    Cost: $0

It's absolutely winter, but are you going outside? Consider tracking your hours with your students outdoors! At Groundswell, much of our support for stewardship projects comes from grants—and those grants rely on data that shows the real impact of our work. We know teachers are taking students outside all the time, and we want to make sure those efforts are recognized and supported! By keeping your own record of outdoor teaching hours, you’re helping us tell the story of how place-based stewardship education is making a difference. These numbers help secure future funding and demonstrate student learning beyond the classroom. Below is a quick Google Form to track your time practicing PBE with your students; consider bookmarking this on your browser to easily access it! 

Click the button below to track your weekly PBE hours.

Looking for a hands-on way to care for Michigan’s state parks? The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers volunteer stewardship workdays that invite community members to help conserve and restore high-quality natural areas across southern lower Michigan. Volunteers learn on site to conduct plant identification, assist with invasive species removal, do photo monitoring, take down insect surveys, and learn signs for early detection of forest disease. 

No experience is necessary, and all equipment and instruction are provided (although dress for the weather!). Whether you’re volunteering once or hoping to become a certified volunteer leader, DNR stewardship opportunities make it easy to step outside, unplug, and make a meaningful impact. Check the volunteer calendar to find an upcoming workday near you and get involved; workdays happen all year long!

Middle and high school teachers: Have your students or school made incredible progress this year, perhaps in recycling practices, neighborhood conservation awareness, or some other areas of sustainability? They might be ready to share their amazing work with peers from across the state! Register your class for the Student Sustainability Summit this May. This summit is an engaging opportunity for students to present on their hard work and showcase it to peers and adults from across Michigan. The event hosts field trips, career booths and interaction with sustainability professionals, free giveaways, and more. 

    Date: Friday, May 8, 2026

    Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM

    Location: Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, South Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI, USA

We are all about citizen science here at Groundswell. This kind of data collection and community contribution is made more accessible with programs like Michigan Vernal Pools Partnership. Have you ever wondered about our forest frogs, or been curious about how salamanders migrate? Sign up for a vernal pool patrol training or attend one of their meetings!

For educators looking to hit the ground this spring with active surveying with students, this group offers a hub of resources to do so. They have all the information for accurate data collection, including lists of needed supplies (with links!), how-to guides for using the Survey123 app, identification guides, and more. 

Michigan Technological University and Northern Michigan University are teaming up to strengthen middle school STEM teaching and leadership across the state. Supported by the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this initiative expands the Michigan Master Teachers Program and supports educators serving grades 5th-9th in diverse, high-need communities.

Current offerings include Build Your NGSS Toolkit courses (Introduction to NGSS, Systems and System Models, and Productive Talk) as well as Teacher Leadership: Developing the Superheroes of Education. More courses are on the way; see the courses and their costs at the link below! 

Questions? Please contact Groundswell at groundswell@gvsu.edu.

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