UPTON — Nipmuc Regional High School recently hosted a successful Climate Change Challenge kickoff event to train educators on how to engage K-12 students in climate change education and action.

The two-day event consisted of a series of sessions on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15. Speakers from various backgrounds presented their ideas, including sessions led by representatives from MaxIQ.Space, GLOBE Program, Mass Audubon, Cooler Communities, Wade Institute for Science Education, Blue Hill Observatory, Climate Interactive, Resource Modeling Association, TERC, and the Nipmuc History Department. Educators from 43 school districts across Massachusetts attended the event.

The year-long program was developed by Nipmuc science teacher and 2024 Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year Jim Gorman with assistance from Nipmuc history teacher and 2024 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year Darcy Daniels.

The Climate Change Challenge is designed to empower students of all ages with the knowledge and skills needed to address climate issues through hands-on experiments and cutting-edge technology alongside their peers and experts. Every month throughout the school year, students and teachers will have check-ins and webinars with partnering organizations to continue their climate change education. Students will present their findings at a symposium at the end of the year.

On Nov. 14, keynote speaker Massachusetts Deputy Climate Chief Jonathan Schrag addressed the crowd, highlighting the observable changes in communities with rising temperatures, and how climate considerations need to be woven into all aspects of governance and planning.

"We have to balance hope with fear of what a climate catastrophe looks like," Schrag said. "We have the opportunity to bend the curve."

Elementary educators from school districts across the state started the conference with intensive climate change education training, focusing on age-appropriate ways to introduce young learners to environmental science and sustainability.

MaxIQ.Space led hands-on workshops where teachers learned to use specialized STEM kits to help students monitor and analyze their immediate environment, from measuring comfort levels in their classrooms to exploring local microclimates. The Wade Institute engaged educators in an innovative engineering challenge about rising sea levels, where teachers designed and built model barriers to protect coastal cities — an activity they can readily adapt to their own classrooms.

Nipmuc students demonstrated their civics projects that addressed environmental issues, discussed their own monitoring projects using MaxIQ.Space technology, and shared their experiences with climate-focused science and engineering initiatives.

The afternoon sessions featured NASA's GLOBE program, introducing creative approaches to engage young students in climate science. For upper elementary grades, educators discovered how their students could participate in real climate research through GLOBE's Urban Heat Island Campaign. The day concluded with Cooler Communities sharing their Energy Detectives program and grant opportunities, highlighting how even the youngest learners can take meaningful action on climate change.

On Nov. 15, middle and high school educators learned about MaxIQ.Space's environmental monitoring technology and explored NASA's GLOBE citizen science protocols. Teachers discovered ways to track urban heat islands in the classroom, analyzed 139 years of weather data from Blue Hill Observatory, and used the En-ROADS climate solutions simulator to model different policy scenarios.

The training emphasized providing students with authentic, real-world learning experiences connected to their local communities. The interdisciplinary nature of climate education was also highlighted, from social studies teachers learning strategies to implement environmentally-focused student civic action projects, to math teachers exploring how climate change impacts endangered species through mathematical modeling.

TERC, Inc. and Mass Audubon hosted displays highlighting successful student-scientist partnerships, while Nipmuc students presented their innovative science, engineering, and civics projects addressing climate challenges. Several students also shared their experiences from climate-focused internships.

"I'm proud to share that the Massachusetts K-12 Climate Change Challenge is continuing to build momentum in its mission to empower educators, by giving them the tools they need to prepare students to understand and address climate challenges while developing crucial STEM skills," said science teacher and Climate Change Challenge coordinator Jim Gorman. "Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and we as educators have the power to make an impact."

"We've developed this challenge to fit our district's "Portrait of a Learner" framework, which encourages our students to grow into solution-seeking, innovative, mindful, and collaborative global citizens," Mendon-Upton Regional School District Superintendent Maureen Cohen said. "We're beyond proud to share this initiative with other districts, and I look forward to seeing how educators adapt this program to address the effects of climate change, both locally and globally. I thank all of our partners, staff, and participants for making this event a resounding success. "

Community members interested in learning more about the Climate Change Challenge or supporting the initiative can contact Jim Gorman at jgorman@mursd.org, or visit www.massclimatechangechallenge.org.