UNITE Club

McCrary students have embarked on an exciting and educational partnership with the North Carolina Zoo and participate in a project called U.N.I.T.E. 

"Uganda North Carolina International Teaching for the Environment."

This effort is an interdisciplinary, cross-curricular project that will link schools in both countries.  Students will explore the connections between cultural, economic, social and environmental issues... empowering them to make better choices about how to protect and manage natural resources.

  

Project Goals
Background Information
 
·         Engage teachers in the development of curriculum which explores cultural, economic, social and environmental connections between North Carolina and Uganda
 
·         Improve teachers' abilities to facilitate student centered, inquiry based, cross curricular investigations relative to conservation education
 
·         Prepare all students to "think globally" when making personal decisions regarding their own and the planets future"

Joy Hamlin, Curator of Education, North Carolina Zoo
 
The North Carolina Zoo began working in Uganda over five years ago helping local communities develop environmentally and economically sound sources of income. As a result, a community group known as (UCOTA) "Uganda Community Tourism Association" was formed in July 1998. The North Carolina Zoo continues to help fund and support this non-governmental organization which is providing hope for improving the lives of rural Ugandans and preserving Uganda's wildlife habitats and natural resources.
UCOTA currently includes 39 communities and has over 2000 members from all parts of the country. UCOTA is actively training members in conservation and providing educational programs that will help develop new sources of income for area communities.

To learn more about the North Carolina Zoo and their conservation programs visit their website.
 
For additional information, please Download the PDF file that will list much more information. You will need Adobe Acrobat loaded on your computer in order to open and read it.

The UNITE Project is funded by The NC Zoological Society,  and the NC Zoo as well as your donations.
 
 

 
ANNOUNCEMENT!

The McCrary UNITE Club has formed an African Drum Band!

NC Zoo Performance and Visit

International Project 2012

The UNITE Club is gearing up to begin an ongoing honeybee project and collaboration with Bigodi Primary School in Uganda, East Africa.  

 Our goal is to help increase awareness and appreciation of honeybees in our school, community, and across to globe. Did you know you can thank a bee for every third bite of food you eat?  You see, they're very important to each and every one of us.  

To get things started, on April 27, the UNITE Club will be sponsoring an Earth Day celebration for the school. They will perform, as well as kick-off the planting season for our teaching garden.  This year, our teaching garden is being converted from a vegetable garden to a mint garden.  We are excited about collaborating with master gardener Bernice Willett to learn how to ensure our garden is a bee friendly garden. She will help us learn how to properly harvest mint leaves.  Then, we will learn how to dry and blend the mint to create tea.  

The Randolph Country chapter of the North Carolina Beekeepers Association has been another important partner in helping us create our mint garden and learn more about bees in our area.  They have been a wonderful resource along with the help of Nancy Ruppert, Apiary Inspector from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.  

Another important part of this project will include creating a packet of information about what we learn and sharing it with the students at Bigodi Primary School.  We want to help them learn how to make their beekeeping efforts more sustainable.  We look forward to collaborating with them regarding the honeybees and also learning about how they grow and harvest tea in their area.

Check back often as the project gets underway…



Drum Practice
   



International Project 2011

The UNITE Club is collaborating with Bigodi Schools in Uganda on an upcoming Earth Day project.  Both our schools have been conducting environmental interviews.  It is interesting to learn what people know about the environment and what they are doing to help protect it. 

Our interview questions:

1. What is the environment?
2. How does the environment help you?
3. What do you do to help take care of the environment?


Environmental Interviews











UNITE Club Performs for Hospital Dedication of Green Space