ACES Ed: A Science Classroom Without Boundaries

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies Celebrates Record Year for Education Programs
Aspen, CO, February 18, 2014 — Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), a non-profit environmental science education center, announces a record year for ACES Ed, the organization’s extensive science and environmental learning programs for pre-school through high school students. ACES Ed programs made over 48,000 student contacts in the 2012-13 school year, a 27% increase over the prior year, making 2012-13 its largest ever. ACES Ed is already on track to surpass this mark in the 2013-14 school year, teaching up to 4,600 individual students a broad spectrum of science education in the classroom and in the field, creating a passion for learning and preparing regional students to excel in science at an early age.

Since 1975, ACES has provided educational programming for regional students, adding full-time programs at both Basalt Elementary and Carbondale’s Crystal River Elementary in the past two years. While Roaring Fork Valley residents and visitors may be familiar with ACES’ naturalist programs and events, many may not be familiar with the non-profit’s educational initiatives.

“Aspen Center for Environmental Studies provides science education programs for 42 schools from Aspen to Rifle and is the backbone of science curriculum in three local elementary schools,” notes ACES’ CEO Chris Lane. “ACES Ed has fostered generations of ecologically literate citizens through hands-on exploration of the sciences and access to our outdoor environment. Our curriculum is highly integrated with that of the schools to support under-funded public programs stressed to meet increasing standards set by the state.”

More than Environmental Education
ACES Ed, a science classroom without boundaries, is a diverse approach to science education, incorporating elements of environmental ed, outdoor ed, experiential ed, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) ed, standards-based ed, placed-based ed, project-based learning, and more. In addition to these, ACES Ed programs integrate curriculum from ACES’ other areas of focus, including sustainable agriculture and forest health. ACES Ed also cultivates a sense of stewardship by nurturing each child’s curiosity and wonder about the world.

At the Forefront of the Education Movement
ACES is one of a handful of organizations in the U.S. that provides curriculum-integrated environmental science classes every day in schools. At Aspen, Basalt, and Crystal River elementary schools, whose teacher funding for science has all but disappeared due to budget cuts, ACES Educators teach environmental science in dedicated classrooms as part of each student’s weekly schedule. In addition to these in-school classes, ACES Educators teach over 350 field programs at Hallam Lake, Rock Bottom Ranch, and other Roaring Fork Valley locations.

A Model for Community-Supported Education Programs
ACES Ed offers an exemplary approach to supplementing science education in our school systems, a model that has been replicated by other organizations. ACES Ed continues to develop programming that can be modeled across the country, establishing Aspen Center for Environmental Studies as a leader among its peers.

For more information about ACES Ed, please contact Arin Trook, Education Director for ACES, at 970-925-5756 and atrook@aspennature.org, or click here.