News & Resources
Courtney Peterson joined the Energy Works team in the summer of 2009 as our Education Associate. She played an important role in developing the K-12 Educational Resources component of our program, developing exciting hands-on lessons about energy issues and then helping us to train teachers all across the State of Michigan. As a former middle school science teacher, she brought a great deal of expertise and enthusiasm to the programming that Energy Works does with schools. “Courtney has really done amazing work to shape our Educational Resources program,” says Education Director Laura Holladay. “She took the lead on developing our classroom energy audit lessons, which have been very popular with teachers, and she has helped to train more than 200 Michigan teachers on how they can teach principles of energy efficiency and renewable energy in their own classrooms.”
Now, after almost two years on the Energy Works staff, Courtney has decided it’s time for a change. “I miss teaching,” she says. “It’s time for me to get back into the classroom.” Courtney is moving to Seattle, Washington this summer and plans to find a science teaching job there. She will be missed by the Energy Works team – and by the teachers she has worked with here in Michigan. But we all wish her the best as she moves on to the next stage in her career, and we are certain that energy literacy will be an integral part of her classroom, wherever she ends up teaching.
As we bid Courtney a fond farewell, we also have the pleasure of welcoming a new member to the Energy Works team: Lauren LaRocca. She will be filling the role of Education Associate, to help with developing additional lesson plans and training more teachers in the years to come. Lauren comes to us from the Ecology Center, an affiliate of Energy Works, where she has worked as an environmental educator for the past two years. “While we are truly sorry to see Courtney leave our education team, we are very fortunate to have such a dynamic and experienced educator as Lauren to fill her shoes,” says Holladay. Lauren has extensive experience developing lesson plans and educational resources for organizations like the Ecology Center, the Leslie Science & Nature Center, the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and others. She is excited to have this chance to develop materials for education on energy issues, and we wish her a warm welcome to the Energy Works team!
Learn more about Education Resources offered by Energy Works!
By Laura Holladay
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