Thanks to their eco-smarts in the classroom, Mrs. Julie Schnedler and her sixth grade class at Mediapolis Community School in Mediapolis, Iowa are taking a trip to Disney World. The class’s project, Operation: Save the Quail, was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2009 Disney Planet Challenge, which invited fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classrooms and student environmental groups across the country to learn more about science, conservation, and teamwork by creating an eco-conscious project portfolio.

Operation: Save the Quail beat out the competition in a number of categories, including environmental relevance, community involvement, originality, and sustainability. Students worked to restore the natural habitat of the local bobwhite quail, whose population was dwindling due to harsh weather and decreased prairie land.

The winning project was chosen by a committee of scientists, environmental experts, and educators. Best of all? Mrs. Schnedler’s class found out about their grand prize status by a surprise visit from Mickey Mouse.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Calling all 4th, 5th, and 6th graders! The Disney Planet Challenge is inviting classrooms and student environmental groups to learn more about science, conservation, and teamwork by creating an eco-conscious project portfolio. Register by December 18th at http://disney.go.com/PlanetChallenge, and submit your team’s portfolio by February 26th, 2010—then, the project will be evaluated according to it’s environmental relevance, community involvement, originality, and sustainability. Looking for some inspiration? The Disney Planet Challenge website features plenty of free eco-centric lesson plans and resources, plus examples of past portfolios.

-Marygrace, KIWI staffer