YES! Quarterly
Spring 2016
Greetings,  

This spring our teams are working hard to engage in meaningful energy action projects in their schools and communities, reflecting on what they learned at the recent Winter Workshops, and putting their project seed funds from the McKnight Foundation to work. We are also celebrating the recent profile of YES! Program Manager Shelli-Kae Foster.

We at YES! hope you continue to have a lovely spring!   
  
Sincerely, 
 
The YES! Staff


Winter Workshops Wow AttendeesWinterWorkshops

Over 335 students and coaches participated in the 15 unique Winter Workshops offered this season--the most workshops we have ever hosted!  They learned from over 70 experts as well as their peers and utilized hands-on learning, tours, and discussions to acquire knowledge and plan for the success of their projects. 

Read more about what the students learned at:  

YES! Teams in Action
YESInAction   
 
YES! teams are up to many great things this school year.  Here are a few highlights from around the state:

Minnesota New Country School
This team recently reflected on their first year as a part of the YES! Program. They have worked with their school to say "YES!" to local foods, design and build supermileage vehicles, and install an aquaponics system in their greenhouse. Read more about their experience as a first-year YES! team.

Royalton

Six YES! students from Royalton presented at the National Joint Powers Alliance "Building the 21st Century Workforce" event in January. YES! students impressed the audience with their projects, and YES! coach Marty Bratsch commented that he is continually impressed that the students are always looking for ways to give back to their community. They are now taking their experience to Italy where they hope to share about their successes in mobilizing their community and learn how Italians are working towards sustainable best practices.

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (ACGC)
Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) has helped to provide networking, education, and funding for several YES! projects. At a recent CERTs event, ACGC YES! team members highlighted the YES! program in general and the projects that the students are currently working on.

Cherry
The Cherry YES! team, one of the recipients of the McKnight awards, is working hard to create and demonstrate an electric vehicle to the students and community. Students are learning how to design, order materials, and build an electric vehicle. They look forward to educating their community about the benefits of electric vehicles.


McKnight Award Winners AnnouncedMcKnight

We are pleased to announce the 2015-16 recipients for the McKnight Foundation Project Funding, facilitated through YES!. The project funding is a result of a larger grant received by the YES! Program from The McKnight Foundation to bring climate literacy to YES! students across greater Minnesota.

Through a competitive process, seven teams received awards of $1,000 for projects that engage and empower youth to make an impact in their school and/or community on climate change through hands-on projects. Read about their exciting projects:

Did You Know...DidYouKnow
 
YES! Program Manager Shelli-Kae Foster was recently profiled for the The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Minnesota Women in Energy series. This series highlights influential women who are part of our state's energy efficiency and renewable energy industries  during Women's History Month. Read Shelli-Kae's interview here and read all of the interviews on the CERTs website.

In This Issue
YES! Winter Workshops
YES! Teams in Action
McKnight Winners
Did You Know...
Quick Links
 
 
 


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YES! empowers youth to partner with their community to create economic and environmental vitality through hands-on learning and team-based projects.
 
YES! provides a unique opportunity for students to learn by engaging directly in community efforts that lead to dramatic demonstrations of renewable energy technology and conservation practices and exposes them to how science is applied in real life.

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   Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center 

 

 

 

 

   

  

 

 

  

  

  

   

 

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