Current Lakeridge 3rd grader, Kaya Jaecks, is one of the winners to be honored on November 13th at the Robert Bateman ‘Get to Know’ program in Los Angeles last week.  She was the first place photography winner for her age category in the U.S. Forest Service sponsored photography contest.  Kaya and her fellow winners will have their winning art and photography featured in the Get to Know Contest 2012 Calendar.  Winners will also receive congratulations from Get to Know Ambassadors, including marine-life artist Wyland.

The Robert Bateman Get to Know Program has been inspiring connections between children and nature in the outdoors for over a decade.

Acclaimed artist and naturalist Robert Bateman believes that having students learn local species’ names and characteristics will create increased awareness and understanding of wildlife, which will in turn instill increased empathy for the well-being of our wild neighbors. In short, he wants to facilitate young people connecting with nature because this is an important first step towards raising a generation who will care for the Earth’s well-being.

Providing young people with opportunities to spend more time outdoors is a priority of the Get to Know Program. This is particularly important in this day and age, as children continue to abandon outdoor experiences for those they can participate in from within the home. This detachment from nature, and resulting sedentary lifestyle, can have a negative effect on the development of children.

The theme of the Get to Know Program is “Connect. Create. Celebrate.” These words articulate our mission to foster connections to nature through the creative arts – and to celebrate the fantastic work being done by youth in response to the environment and the need to understand and value nature. For more, go to http://www.gettoknow.ca/us/