Organizations Filed Purposes:
T.R.E.E.'s mission is to educate children and adults about the life science processes that govern our planet, to inspire them to appreciate the natural world, and to motivate them to protect it. The mission is accomplished by conducting comprehensive academic and experiential education programs.
T.R.E.E.s implementation of the Earthkeepers program provides 4th grade students with an experiential learning adventure that teaches them about the science concepts they need to succeed academically, and gives them the confidence necessary to make a difference in their own lives and in others, especially regarding the protection of our planet Earth. During this 3-day program, students travel each day to a forested Jean Lafitte National Park, and earn K.E.Y.S. symbolizing the steps of their journey. Participants earned their K (Knowledge) and E (Experience) keys by engaging in activities such as following Slippery Sally, a water speck (molecule) on adventures through the water cycle. They connected with nature through immersive activities like finding, naming, and describing the perfect wind dancer, a leaf dropped for all to see how it distinctively floats through the air. When students return to school they earn their Y and S (Yourself and Sharing) keys by (1) reducing the amount of energy and materials they use or waste; (2)sharing their knowledge and experiences with younger students, family members and friends; and (3) continuing to experience the wonders of the world through solitude, observation, discovery, and writing. Almost all participants (99%) came from public schools, over 50% were minorities, and over 65% were considered economically disadvantaged. Over the 2019-2020 school year, 526 students, 59 teachers, and 80 parent volunteers participated. Due to COVID-19, another 110 students were unable to attend.
Sunship III occurs over 3 days and 2 nights for 7th graders, deepening their life science understanding and focus on implications of decisions that affect their personal lives and their communities. To start, each 7th grader receives enough solarians rather than dollars, to pay for their use of necessary resources like water, food, and electricity. They keep a checkbook which they must balance each day as they decide how to best spend their resources. They have tough decisions to make regarding desires rather than needs; make and transport to the user. The follow-through component connects youth to sustainability leaders in the areas they live. They pledge to interview at least one person to find out how they practice living and working more lightly on the Earth. Sunship III, like achieve superior levels of learning in science. Second, children need to understand how their environment functions, and that it is interconnected to all life. Third, students need to feel empowered, which is necessary for them to be confident that they can make a short by approximately 60 students due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Sunship Earth is a 5-day and 4-night 5th grade program, where students are immersed in the natural environment, and are able to directly observe and apply the science concepts being taught. The program has a playful and engaging framework guiding children from one experience to the next. Students receive a "passport" that allows their travels on and off-trail at the Study Station, an outdoor classroom in a bottomland hardwood forest about 50 miles north of New Orleans. Participants engage in 35 hands-on activities including when they climb inside of a leaf and create a molecule that is needed to trigger photosynthesis (energy flow). And they become coyotes and must come up with independent strategies like camouflage or speediness to catch the one mouse available for dinner (interrelationships). Upon returning to city life, participants pledge to reduce their impact on energy or materials, and have several opportunities to work on changing their habits regarding their enjoyment and protection of the natural world. There were 149 public school students, 7 teachers, and 26 parent volunteers who participated in Sunship Earth over the 2019-2020 school year. Satisfaction surveys produced comments from teachers like, I loved seeing the students so engaged. I loved seeing their independence. Even my students who struggle the MOST academically learned and shared and were held accountable just like everyone else!
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Stephen Smith | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Maurya Kilroy | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Jordan Hodgins | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Jamie Braud | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Meredith Barousse | Director | 1 | $0 |
| Dillon Allen | Director | 1 | $0 |
| William Scott | Secretary | 1 | $0 |
| Michele Mire | Treasurer | 1 | $0 |
| Andrew Liles | Vice President | 1 | $0 |
| Allison Brouk | President | 1 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202111369349301626_public.xml