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YES! Quarterly
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Summer 2015
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Greetings,
We're celebrating summer and the accomplishments of our YES! teams this season. As the school year concluded, we handed out YES! awards and started planning for the Fall Summit and the next season of YES!, which includes expanding the program to include more schools. We're also taking some time to celebrate our program and we invite you to join us at the Feast Forward event at Ney Nature Center on Sunday, July 19th!
Here's what some YES! students had to say about their year:
- "I enjoy participating in YES! because it gives students opportunities to learn about advancements in technology to solve energy use issues and ways to conserve energy in the most efficient ways"
- "I participate in YES! to make a difference in my community. There is no greater feeling than giving back to the people who support me so much"
- "YES! has inspired me: I think it is really cool how you can help you get your community involved. It is cool as students we can teach adults!"
- "YES! creates opportunities for a healthier community. It's great bonding time and gives us a chance to help out the earth"
Thank you for supporting these students in their creative and meaningful endeavors. We're looking forward to another great season of YES!
Sincerely,
The YES! Staff
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What a Year! 
We are proud of all of the work that our YES! teams accomplished this year. They recycled over 2,000 pounds of holiday lights, 1,700 pounds of shoes, 8,000 plastic bags, and 181 cell phones. They implemented 5 YES!/Earth Weeks, built 4 supermileage vehicles, managed 8 school gardens/greenhouses, and much more. At least 15 teams did recycling projects in their schools and communities, 4 teams did waste or energy audits of their schools, 4 teams worked on composting initiatives, and all YES! teams demonstrated that they were empowered to partner with their communities to create economic and environmetal vitality through hands-on learning and team-based projects.
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YES! Spring Awards
As the school year concluded, YES! teams eagerly showed off their work to judges. Congratulations to all of our teams for their hard work this season. Here are this year's award winners for each cohort: Southern Cohort  - 1st: Sleepy Eye
- 2nd: Springfield
- 3rd: Tie between Mankato West and Westbrook-Walnut Grove
West Central Cohort
- 1st: New London-Spicer
- 2nd: Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City
- 3rd: Tie between DREAM Technical Academy and Litchfield
 North Central Cohort
- 1st: Royalton
- 2nd: Tie between St. Cloud Apollo and ROCORI
- 3rd: Tie between New York Mills and Alexandria
Northeast Cohort
- 1
 st: Tie between Northern Lights Community and North Woods - 2nd: Tie between Mountain Iron-Buhl and Duluth East
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Fall Summit Date Announced
We'll be having a Fall Summit Wednesday, September 30th at Saint John's University. We're excited to celebrate the kick-off to our 2015-2016 season, motivate the young people involved with YES! to take on impactful and meaningful projects and connect them to the information and resources they need to be successful. Most importantly, we look forward to engaging students in experiential learning while inspiring them to think differently about energy issues and opportunities. If you'd like to be involved, be sure to contact us.
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We want to see you on Sunday, July 19th!
The Ney Nature Center in Henderson, MN will be hosting a Feast Forward event through a collaboration with Youth Energy Summit (YES!) and Minnesota Association for Environmental Education (MAEE) on July 19, 2015 from 2-6 pm.
 Come learn about the famous deformed frogs of Minnesota and visit the pond where they were first found, explore the prairie on a guided hike, visit the historical Ney homestead, network with other environmental educators, and eat a delicious meal made with locally sourced foods. The event is open to everyone of all ages; you do not need to be an environmental educator to attend! Register here.
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Did You Know...
That we are looking for more YES! teams to grow our amazing program? If you know of a school or teacher in southern, central, or northeastern MN that would be a good fit for YES!, please contact us at [email protected].
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