John Schmied

Historical footnotes 

I was raised in the Wisconsin/Illinois area. My earliest science recollections are of bringing home (to my mother's spic and span kitchen) hundreds of newly hatched tadpoles in a rusty old tin can whilst balanced precariously on my first two wheeler in Watertown, Wisconsin. Ant farms, butterfly hatching, spiders, snakes, bats, birds, magnets, electricity, spectrums, and tropical fish followed in quick succession. I've always been interested in anything to do with science.

When I was 19 I quit college and went to sea in many different ships while serving in the United States Coast Guard. I served in the Coast Guard for over 21 years. During my tours in the Coast Guard I was primarily involved in Search and Rescue, Salvage Diving, Training, and Marine Science. Of course anyone who has been in the service for a long time has seen and done lots of things. I'm no exception. I've been involved in many rescues, salvage operations, and science operations all around the Pacific Ocean, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. A couple of the highlights I can remember: Once I was trying to fix a broken propeller (underwater) on a Coast Guard icebreaker in Antarctica while a pod of hungry Killer Whales tried to decide whether my buddy and I were seals! I also recall nearly being cut in half one night. This occurred when a faulty deep sea oceanographic cable, under enormous tension snapped in two and came whipsawing toward me in the night. Good reflexes saved the day! (Unfortunately two miles of cable and a hundred thousand of dollars worth of equipment were attached to that cable!). Then there was the time I wintered over in the Arctic Ocean... well, there's not enough space for sea stories...

I've been teaching all my adult life in real world situations. When I left the Coast Guard it seemed natural to continue teaching. I began teaching in public school in 1994. Since then I've worked with all ages of secondary students. I spent a lot of my life working and studying the environment. Along the way I received three degrees: a BA in Biology and also in Natural Science, a BS in Environmental Zoology, and a Master's in Science Teaching. All of my degrees are from the University of Washington. Go Huskies!

I also work as a consultant. My main work areas at present are strategic planning, science education, energy and the environment, chemical hygiene and laboratory design.

My wife and I have five incredible daughters (three seemed to have time to be fantastic college athletes [swimming] and still do remarkably well with their academics.) All five of the girls have graduated from college, one's a docter, an OB/GYN, one is a School Counselor, one is in Seattle earning her "bones" in the workforce, another is now a Senior Research Scientist. Our youngest daughter is getting patient experience in a pain clinic and is back in school, studying to become a doctor or physicians assistant.

Environmental Action Projects:

Environmental Action in School - In 2007 my classes participated in an Environmental Action Project, successfully convincing the McLendon's Hardware people to recycle Flourescent lights, which contain mercury, as part of the King County Take It Back Network. Since these products are hazardous material, they can't be disposed of in our regular waste stream. All 6 McLendon's are now on the Network. This one action expanded the Take It Back List by over 33%! Who says kids can't make a difference? You just have to believe!

At Skyview we are embedding environmental action in school life, from schoolwide recycling projects, to energy awareness, we continue to bring forward issues of global sustainability to our young citizens.

Skyview's Outdoor Environmental Education Center - In May 2005, science teachers Tom Nowak, Mike Reid and I began creating an Outdoor Environmental Learning Center on 5.5 acres of school property behind Skyview. The project is now in full swing and we hold regular classes in the Center during the school year on sustainability and the natural environment. As of April 2010 our students, parents, community members, and science teachers have put in over 8950 community service hours to develop the area, plant 1000 native plants, and create a filtering wetland area across the front of the Center.

The Regional Community Environmental Education Center Project - Since 2002 I've been deeply involved in efforts to create a Regional Community Environmental Education Center and 72 acre Community Environmental Park at the Brightwater site via a 501(c)(3) non profit organization I helped develop and incorporate. Right now, with help from a whole bunch of folks, the six teachers in this group secured over $10.3M for funding complete construction of this project. This park and Environmental Center is our gift back to the community. Many local, regional and national organizations have helped us in our quest. Recently Snohomish PUD and Bonneville Environmental Foundation granted us $48K for Washington made solar panels for the Center and the Woodinville Rotary granted us funding that we plan to use to pursue further grants.

You might consider joining our team and helping provide quality environmental programs for our community. Below is an artistic rendering of the Center as well as a photo of the Center in fall 2010 showing the Community Center and labs (in the background) under construction.

Artist's rendering of the EE Center	EE Center under construction 10/10/10