The SEMIS Coalition Blog
The place to connect, learn and share perspectives in place-based learning
Welcome to our SEMIS Coalition blog! A commons-based digital space for shared resources, images, and more. It’s a place for you to ask questions, interact with peers, and keep current with the latest Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition activities.
Browse through the most recent posts below, or browse past posts by category via the toolbar on the right.
From Data to Green Spaces: Sustainability at Eastern Michigan University
When I joined Eastern Michigan University’s President’s Commission on Sustainability last year, I stepped into a legacy of progress. Established in 2018 by President James Smith, the commission was created to evaluate and elevate EMU’s sustainability initiatives—and...
Building Community and Connection: Launching Place-Based Learning on the Huron River
Happy December! As I look out the window at the falling snow, it’s hard to believe that just a few months ago our SEMIS Coalition members were beginning the school year by adventuring outdoors to launch their place-based learning. One of the many wonderful things...
Green Solutions, Green STEM
Walking the grounds near the Ypsilanti Community District Offices in winter, you’ll encounter a dozen slim trunks of leafless trees encircled by a protective netting. Continuing west, underneath the slope of a snow covered hill, hides a prairie ecosystem resplendent...
Director’s Corner November 2025
Dear SEMIS Coalition Members, Earlier this month, the SEMIS Coalition co-hosted the 9th National Place-Based Education Conference with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, bringing over 500 educators from across the country (and around the world) together in...
Director’s Corner October 2025
Dear SEMIS Coalition Members, This time last year, as I was writing this monthly blog, I found myself thinking about the changing of seasons, how the seasons connect to our collaborative and individual processes of transformation, and the power of relationships to...
Director’s Corner September 2025
Dear SEMIS Coalition Members, In the fall of 2015, I traveled with a group of students from Detroit Public Schools Community District to Grand Rapids to my (and their) first National Place-Based Education Conference. Beyond the general excitement of our group to be in...
New SEMIS Article: What a Japanese Educator Learned from SEMIS about Transforming Education in Uncertain Times
Above: Junko Rondo giving a talk at EMI, January, 2020 Dear SEMIS Coalition, Nice to e-meet you!My name is Junko Kondo. I’m a former public middle school social studies teacher andcurrently an assistant professor at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Kyoto, Japan....
Summer Institute 2025
Summer Institute 2025 Photo Journal One of our favorite times of the year at the SEMIS Coalition is the Annual Summer Institute where we have the opportunity to spend a dedicated week fully immersed with educators and community partners embedded in place-based...
Director’s Corner August 2025
Dear SEMIS Coalition Members, Welcome to the start of another school year! Whether you had the summer off or it is your busiest time of year, we hope you had a chance to enjoy the many gifts of this season. The SEMIS Coalition team spent much of our summer preparing...
Director’s Corner July 2025
Dear SEMIS Coalition, This time of year, the SEMIS Coalition planning team gets to do one of our favorite things - read and hear stories from educators about how place-based learning shaped their classrooms and communities over the past year. These ‘Shared Stories’ as...