Hosted by SuperNOVA and sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), the Climate Education Teacher Conference (CETC) is a series of professional development (PD) conferences, targeting grade 7 science teachers across the province. The CETC offers a full day of interactive PD sessions focused on climate change and environmental education, aimed at equipping teachers with the knowledge and tools to deliver impactful climate education in their classrooms. A $100 attendance stipend will be provided to all participants.
Please note: All sessions will be presented in English. Simultaneous French translation and French materials will be offered for every session.
Cetc Halifax 2026:
Event Date: March 28th, 2026
Program Location: Austenville Owl’s Club, 34 Oakdale Crescent, Dartmouth, NS B3A 2L8
Eligibility: Grade 7 teachers at Nova Scotia Regional Centres for Education as well as the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial
Cetc Truro 2026:
Event Date: April 25th, 2026
Program Location: Jenkins Hall, 40 Horseshoe Crescent, Truro, NS B2N 5E3
Eligibility: Grade 7 teachers at Nova Scotia Regional Centres for Education as well as the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial
Contents:
Speakers
Mary Louise Bernard – Elder, Author & Water Protector
Mary Louise Bernard is an Elder, Author, and Water Protector. She is a passionate advocate for community and reconnecting with Mother Earth. Mary Louise will open the conference, speaking about what climate action means to her and her journey to becoming a Water Protector.
Mira MacNeill – Program Coordinator – Supernova
Mira is a program coordinator at SuperNOVA at Dalhousie University. She is SuperNOVA’s computer science programming lead, and runs an all-girls STEM program called ITS (Industry, Technology and Science) For Girls. She has been teaching since 2015 and has provided teacher training to teachers across Nova Scotia. She was invited to speak at ISTE Live 2024 in Denver, Colorado about integrating technology education with the natural environment. She has organized and presented at SuperNOVA’s previous three CETC Conferences in 2024 and 2025.
Schedule + Session Information
Saturday
Registration and Breakfast
7:30 AM – 8:15 AM
Arrive on location to check into the conference and receive your badge and materials. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided to participants.
Welcome Remarks – SuperNOVA / DEECD
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM
Introduction to the PD day from SuperNOVA and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
KEYNOTE – Mary Louise Bernard
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
An opening talk with Elder Mary Louise Bernard, discussing climate action and water protection.
Hands-On Workshop #1: Wind Turbines
9:30 – 11:00
SuperNOVA will walk participants through a hands-on climate science activity suitable for grade 7 students. You will leave this session with all of the materials required to run these activities in your own classrooms.
This activity addresses green technologies, environmental stewardship and human impacts on the climate by allowing students to design and test their own wind turbine blades. Students will discover the benefits of implementing sustainable energy sources in their communities, and how natural resources can be harnessed using various technologies. This design challenge will also address engineered structures and the forces that act on them.
Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:15 AM
A 15 minute morning coffee break. Stretch your legs! Step outside!
Teaching Environmental Action
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Led by SuperNOVA, this session will cover environmental topics that are relevant to the Grade 7 SCOs, including Environmental Action, which will explore green technologies, human impact on ecosystems, and the interconnectedness of living things. The session will provide teachers with a deeper understanding of the topics they are teaching by referencing up-to-date research and helping teachers and students to understand how to teach topics such as ecosystems in an engaging, hands-on manner.
Lunch
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Catered lunch will be offered in the conference room.
Hands-On Activity #2: Ecosystem Dynamics Game
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
SuperNOVA will walk participants through a hands-on climate science activity suitable for grade 7 students. You will leave this session with all of the materials required to run these activities in your own classrooms.
Coffee Break
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM
A 15-minute afternoon coffee break.
Closing Remarks and Evaluations – SuperNOVA / DEECD
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
SuperNOVA and the DEECD will provide closing remarks and time for session evaluation. Raffle prizes will be awarded at this time.
Structured Networking
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Teachers will be able to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss how to incorporate what they’ve learned throughout the PD day in their own classrooms. A notetaker will take notes at each discussion table, which will be shared with all participating teachers after the event so they have further resources to take home with them. Social engagements will allow teachers to create connections and foster a sense of community, creating a welcoming learning environment. Connections between teachers will also help to encourage future sharing and collaboration.
Further Information
The CETC conference is free of charge, and each participant will take home a bin of classroom materials that includes activity write-ups in your preferred language (English or French). Both conferences will include the same content, and therefore participants may only attend one of the two.
Upon registration, participants will be prompted to indicate whether they are interested in receiving a travel reimbursement. Travel reimbursements up to $200 will be offered to teachers who live outside of the Truro and Halifax metropolitan areas. Reimbursement will be provided to participants after attending the event.
Registered and unable to attend? Please reach out to mira@superstaff.ca for cancellation.
Not a grade 7 teacher? If you think that this content will be relevant for your classroom, please email mira@superstaff.ca to request participation.
For media inquiries, please contact:
SuperNOVA at Dalhousie University
902-210-6220
supernova@dal.ca