CALUMET

Participating schools include Bogan High School, Bowen High School, Brooks College Prep, Carver Military Academy, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, CICS Larry Hawkins, Collins High School, Corliss High School, Fenger High School, Hammond Clark, Harlan Community Academy, Morgan Park, Simeon Career Academy, George Washington, and Westville High School.

Calumet Is My Back Yard (CIMBY) is helping Chicago’s South Side and Northwest Indiana high school students become the next generation of environmental leaders. CIMBY strengthens and connects the Lake Calumet region’s human and natural communities through place-based education and stewardship.

CIMBY improves academic success.• Provides locally-focused, real-world place-

based science education.• Reaches out to students who face enormous

challenges from limited school resources and the threat of violence in their neighborhoods.

• Sparks enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

• Teaches important civic and 21st century work skills including critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.

CIMBY makes an environmental impact.• Heals damaged ecosystems through

ecological restoration practices.• Removes invasive species and sows

native plant seeds.• Monitors ecological health.• Connects stewardship to larger

environmental issues in the region and the country. IS

MYBACK

YARD

VISIT: www.fieldmuseum.org/cimby

CONTACT: Samantha Ozik Chicago Public Schools Civic Engagement and Service Learning Initiative 501 W. 35th Street | Chicago, IL 60616 scmattone@cps.edu | 773.553.6386

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Find us in the field: restoring, exploring, and protecting Calumet Natural Areas: Beaubien

Woods, Dan Ryan Woods, Dolton Ave Prairie, Eggers Woods, Hegewisch Marsh, Indiana Dunes,

Kickapoo Prairie, Kinder Morgan Prairie, Olive Harvey Wetland, Powderhorn Prairie,

Sand Ridge Nature Center , Whistler Woods., Willam Powers Conservation Area, Rainbow

Beach, Ambler Flatwoods, Van Vlissingen, and Wolf Lake.

Grand CalumetRiver

I-290

Little CalumetRiver

SaltCreek

TrailCreek

Indiana DunesNational

Lakeshore

I-94

I-94

L a k eC o u n t y

P o r t e rC o u n t y

W i l lC o u n t y

L a P o r t eC o u n t y

Cicero

Hammond

La Porte

Oak Lawn

Valparaiso

Crown Point

ILLILL

WISWIS

INDIND

MCHMCH

The Calumet Region

0 5 102.5Miles ±

Calumet Region

County Line

Protected LandsNational/Federal Government

Local/Regional Government

NGO or Private

Rivers

Roads

ILLI

NO

IS

INDIANA

IND

IAN

A

MICHIGAN

L a k e M i c h i g a nChicago

Gary

C o o kC o u n t y

I-55

I-80 / I-94 I-80

I-94

I-65

Indiana DunesNational

Lakeshore

Engaging the next generation of Chicago’s environmental leaders

CIMBY Summer InternshipsStudents who successfully complete the full CIMBY school year are eligible to participate in paid summer environmental internships with established environmental organizations in the Chicago area. Interns have previously been placed at the Chicago State University’s Aquaponics Center, the Sierra Club, Friends and Forest Preserves of the Parks, Sand Ridge Nature Center, and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. The Field Museum offers additional opportunities for nine Environmental Leadership Interns funded by the Ford Motor Company.

CIMBY Special EventsCIMBY offers six major events over the course of the year which bring together students from all participating high schools. These include:• a kick-off day of restoration and exploration

at the Indiana Dunes• a Biodiversity Day at the Sand Ridge

Nature Center• a CIMBY Student Leadership Retreat to the

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point• an Environmental Leadership and Careers

Conference at The Field Museum• a guided Toxics to Treasures tour of the

Calumet region and workshop,• the CIMBY Science Summit at

The Field Museum.

CIMBY engages high school students and teachers in

the Calumet region in educational activities and experiences that connect classroom learning with

stewardship opportunities.

CIMBY in the ClassroomCIMBY offers engaging curriculum that meets next generation science standards and Common Core state standards, professional development and model curriculum and activity implementation for teachers to use with their students in the classroom.

CIMBY in the FieldThrough a series of field trips, students perform ecological restoration at adopted natural sites. Students monitor biodiversity and water and soil quality in prairie, woodland and wetland sites. Students remove invasive species and perform additional stewardship tasks that are aligned with site management plans. Students also participate in exploration activities, helping them to build a stronger connection to their adopted natural area.

CIMBY Student LeadersSelect high school students enrich their CIMBY experience by participating in special events and opportunities which allow them to take on leadership roles. Student Leaders host stewardship activities in the field, attend city-wide conferences, present their work to stakeholders in Calumet, and use their expertise to train the next generation of environmental caretakers.

Founded in 1999, CIMBY is a joint program of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), The Field Museum’s Science Action Center, Dunes Learning Center and Shirley Heinze Land Trust.