A Holistic Watershed Journey for Students at the Gereau Center

December 10th, 2012 by Lori Sloan

Counting critters with our ranger from Booker T. Washington National Park

Feeling the cool mountain water

On the rock...connected to the earth

A healthy forest friend

This plastic is not going in our streams!

I wonder if the maker of that hole is still in there!

Knowing this place from our sit spot, where the water comes from the mountain

Mountain top of our watershed

Students in the environmental module at The Gereau Center experience their watershed through a network of activities linking trees and water quality. They often begin at the base of the mountain in the wetlands where they discover keystone species indicating the edge where one ecotone meets another. It is here the diversity is greatest and students locate places where wildlife find water, food, shelter, and a place to raise their young. It is in this place students begin to meet the plants such as the wild rose or blackberry getting their attention as the thorns grab their clothes. They learn the rose hips provide vitamin C for humans and wild animals. Students wonder at the clear, sparkling water flowing from a small waterfall gushing from the saturated wetland soil on its way to the stream across the street. They look up to find the mountain gap where this water springs out of Grassy Hill above them.

This site was donated by a local family to the Nature Conservancy and is now cared for by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. After examining topographic images and mapping their watershed, students learn they live at the headwaters of the Roanoke River watershed which flows through the soil and across the land to the Albemarle–Pamlico Sound in North Carolina.  As each student relates their own sense of place within this watershed, stories are shared about the creeks, streams and rivers in which they like to play and fish and swim. These young people know their responsibility for keeping their part of the watershed clean because everyone lives downstream.

After learning about the local history of lightning strikes and fire suppression on Grassy Hill, they see pictures of Menge’s Fame Flower (G3/S1) an endangered plant and other mountain residents like the Carolina Thistle, Blazing Star, and common trees living on the magnesium rich rocks along the path they will hike. Students learn about watershed tea and the importance of tree leaves feeding the streams, and their roots holding the soil in the watershed.

Young faces beam with excitement as they begin the ascent up the mountain trail. One student finds a tree fallen across the path revealing its age.  Another curious observer moves to get a closer look to see if something is living in the big hole at the base of a tree. Looking at the whole forest picture, they closely observe patterns in nature that tell the history of this mountain forest while gathering leaves to identify individual species along the way. An heirloom apple collected from the stream sparks questions and peaks curiosity of its origin. Student questions indicate their awareness of the importance of forestlands in maintaining our watershed. Their search gets in depth as they enter the stream looking for salamanders and other organisms; clues for discovering the quality of the water. The students stop to pause and find a sit spot, a quiet time to be with nature and reflect. The only sound heard in the forest is the wind blowing through the trees. One student gently lifts the sparkling stream water between his fingers. Individual students experience the headwaters of the collective watershed and will follow the creek down the mountain to the stream that weaves through the forest near the wetland.

It is in this protected riparian buffer students will sample the stream using the Save Our Streams methods they learned in the classroom. The macroinvertebrates they collect will help them identify the water quality of this stream. Giggling is heard as they check the speed of the water with a tennis ball and stopwatch. They climb down a steep bank to check the pH and lift rocks looking for treasures. One student sighs as they have to get back to school and comments she doesn’t like to end her time in nature. We all agree. As we walk back to school, some of the students make a vow to bring back bags and gloves to clean up the trash around the stream. They share stories of clean ups they have done in their own neighborhoods. One student comments they put fences up on their farm so the cows cannot get into the water. Another student shares the story of the day their manure pond broke loose contaminating the Pigg River. We all remembered that day. The water treatment plant even had to shut down. The connections these students make between their actions, choices and maintaining the quality of their watershed is lifelong learning.

Back in the classroom, the light is turned on as students are asked if they are connected to mountain top coal removal. Most answer no. Viewing parts of Coal Country, students identify the values and beliefs of the people imbedded in this very local issue. Students listen intently as one teacher shares his family history connected to coal and what it was like when his father mined coal and died in a long wall mine in Virginia. Listening to Judy Bonds share deep concern for her community and the black water flowing in Coal River, the students cannot help but feel the despair of these nearby families torn apart by opposing views on this volatile issue. They learn of the inspirational steps she takes to save her river and her beloved mountain. In her passing, they learn it is the Clean Water Act and the endangered critters living in the river that save her mountain, the river and the people for whom it is their lifeblood.

As students experience a holistic watershed journey, they think twice about throwing a bag or bottle from their car into the creek. They know there is something alive in the water they want to protect. They appreciate the trees blowing in the cool mountain air and the rivers that feed the forest and bring life to their community and everyone downstream.

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Lori Sloan is an 8th grade Physical and Environmental Science teacher at the Leonard A. Gereau Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration in Franklin County, Virginia.

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School

August 6th, 2012 by Connie Kelley

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School (Stevens) models the “green” initiatives our district has implemented since 2007, and was recently awarded U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School status in recognition of our efforts. In addition to our in-class environmental education efforts, the school itself serves as a real-world model of healthy and environmentally responsible behavior in practice. Here are some of the key environmental areas our school excels in, and examples of how we achieve our “green” accomplishments:

Our school meets ASHRAE standards for indoor air quality and ventilation.

Air and Water:

  • A 2002 ESCO Project with Chevron Energy Solutions included guaranteed water savings via retrofits of low flow equipment.
  • The school’s water source, treated by a borough treatment plant, continually produces high quality water that exceeds EPA standards and is compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  • All schools in the district are tested for radon.
  • Asthma workshops are offered through “Open Airways”, an American Lung Association program.

Paper Recycling in the Chambersburg Area School District

Waste and Chemicals:

  • Stevens partners with IESI, a local waste management company, for Single-Stream Recycling. In 2008, the district earned the Professional Recyclers of PA award.
  • The Custodial Department uses Green Seal Certified, ISSA, and Costar paper, janitorial, carpet cleaning, and floor scrubbing products.
  • An integrated pest management plan and a chemical management program that selects the EPA’s Design for the Environment approved products, is in place district-wide.

Student Health:

Reaping the nutritional benefits of a healthy school garden.

  • Our Food Service Department started the ChooseMyPlate.gov program this school year. This USDA program provides nutrition and exercise education, encouraging building healthy plates of food and practicing physical fitness.
  • Besides physical education classes and daily recess outdoors, Stevens conducts a Field Day in May. Stations encourage fitness, team building, endurance, leadership, and competition.
  • Wellness Days with Summit Health for 3rd graders includes educational stations about exercise, anger management, tobacco, nutrition, drugs/alcohol, self-esteem, and fire/ police safety topics.

Schoolyard Habitats:

Student planting in a school garden.

  • Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School “green” space provides ecological and social benefits. The property includes a community-use soccer field, playground, 40-foot x 40-foot fenced garden, and a row of Bluebird nesting boxes from a class project.
  • Last summer, Stevens partnered with Penn State Cooperative Extension, the 4-H Program, and Local Master Gardeners to implement the Harvest 4-Health program. A 40-foot x 40-foot garden was designed, planted, and managed, harvesting 225 pounds of food by more than 60 students in the Kids Learning After School Program.

Energy:

Since 2009, Stevens has earned Energy Star Labels for 3 consecutive years; with an Energy Star percentage reduction of 36.8% for October 2010 to October 2011.

  • An Energy Management Program has been implemented district-wide. Stevens has saved over $78,400 or 27.19% in 53 months of benchmarking.
  • Automated heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC) controls were added to the school. Monitoring allows for reduced use during unoccupied times; holidays and summers are planned shut down periods.
  • Stevens’ environmental impact from electric and oil savings is equal to 404 equivalent metric tons of CO2 reduction. This equates to 10,324 trees planted and grown for 10 years!
  • More than half of the 280 students walk to school from nearby multi-family housing developments. With bussing needs greatly reduced, transportation is efficient.

A culture of energy conservation, helping to protect the environment, reduce operating costs and use of natural resources, is evident at Stevens, modeling environmental stewardship for students. Via our building energy performance, activities to promote healthy living, and enriching programs in partnership with varied community groups, “being green” resonates at Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School.

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Connie Kelley is the Energy Manager of the Chambersburg Area School District.

Celebrating School-Wide Environmental Learning at Folger McKinsey ES

July 23rd, 2012 by Sue Rodger

Folger McKinsey second grade students seining.

At Folger McKinsey Elementary, our Maryland Green School and newly awarded National Green Ribbon status are part of the daily educational experience and integral to the culture that is fostered in and out of the classroom.  Dedicated to fostering life-long learners, the school capitalizes on every opportunity to promote environmental literacy.  “Being green” is much more than a few environmental science lessons and recycling.  It is part of the school culture in which lessons and activities that increase environmental understanding and responsibility are implemented whenever and wherever possible. In addition to grade level specific programs, school-wide educational activities allow students to experience the environment. Every little bit makes a difference…

The Greater Severna Park Watershed Action Group hosts an annual Earth Day Festival, drawing thousands to participate in environmental education.  Folger students and staff participate annually, both the day of with a demonstration and activity booth, as well as in the planning and implementation of the event.  Earth Day actually becomes “Earth Month” at Folger as the school gears up for the Festival, along with capitalizing on the popularity of the environment as a hot topic in April.  Each grade level creates or updates its tri-fold that is on display at the Festival.  Each grade highlights one environmental activity or concept that takes place at Folger throughout the year.  The PTO organizes volunteers to lead interactive games at the Folger booth, including the “Trash Challenge” and “Our Earth is in Jeopardy” quiz game.  Scout troops from the school created the banner for the booth.  As a result, the entire school takes part in making our school’s booth a reality.

At the recent Spring Concert, featuring the orchestra, band and chorus, parents were informed that there would no longer be a printed program in an effort to reduce paper and energy in creating it.

Read Across America Day celebrates reading by honoring Dr. Seuss and Folger makes this day special with “celebrity” guest readers in every class.  A “green” component was added to the event two years ago and it wasn’t eggs!  Instead, each student is asked to donate a gently-used book to be shared with a reading program in a neighboring area that seeks to get books in the hands of children who would not otherwise have access to reading materials.

The importance of recycling is highlighted with an annual classroom challenge.  Students are encouraged to bring in magazines and catalogs from home to be recycled at school.  The items are measured to track just how much paper is coming into our homes and to highlight how we can reduce this and why it’s crucial to recycle, rather than just throw in the trash.  The prize for the class that recycles the most is an extended recess with team-building games led by volunteers.  Being outside is a great place to learn – and this kind of prize instills a renewed appreciation for the earth.

America Recycles Day is gaining attention and it was added to the calendar at Folger. Parent volunteers met with all 22 classes on this Fall day to remind students about recycling in class and in the cafeteria.  Lessons focused on what is recyclable and the difference recycling makes to the environment.  Taking it a step further, the presentation also addressed reducing waste through packing re-usable lunches.  For participating, every student was entered into a raffle and all prizes promoted the environment:  t-shirts with “green” messages, pencils made from recyclable material and re-usable lunch boxes, containers, utensils and water bottles.  All of this reinforces the message and helps students to actually make the step in improving their actions.

Capitalizing on pop-culture, the popularity of The Lorax movie was integrated into the classroom at many grade levels.  For example, students made posters in which their faces were placed on the Lorax then asked what he/she does or will do to save the earth.  This activity engages students of all ages and instills in them the idea that they indeed make a difference and their actions and ideas matter.

Classroom lessons, field trips, activities, community partnerships – they all help to promote environmental stewardship at Folger.  The Maryland Green School flag and National Green Ribbon are not just on display at Folger McKinsey Elementary; they are a way of learning and green living. At Folger McKinsey Elementary School, we seize every opportunity to make the connection between traditional curriculum requirements with the natural world, using the environment as a valuable instructional tool to attain educational objectives, in part by simply getting outside.

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Sue Rodger is a First Grade Teacher and is the Environmental Committee Chairman at Folger McKinsey Elementary School.

Greening all Grades at Folger McKinsey Elementary School

July 9th, 2012 by Sue Rodger

First grade students at Folger McKinsey plant milk-week and other plants for our butterfly garden.

Students at Folger McKinsey Elementary learn many environmental lessons in school that they put into practice on a daily basis, both at school and home because they all eat, breathe and sleep in the shadow of this great estuary.  As such, Folger staff recognizes the importance of instilling environmental stewardship and capitalize on the opportunity to promote such an understanding as often as possible.  This is done through classroom lessons across all disciplines. Folger students enjoy the many benefits of living and attending school in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  With privileges come responsibility and the Folger education includes many lessons in all grade levels that are geared toward developing ownership of that responsibility by creating life-long learners committed to environmental stewardship.

Kindergarten classes have been involved in recycling this year via daily use of the recycle bin in the classroom and recycling at lunch. Children participated in an environmental education trip to Camp Woodlands in which lessons about trees were taught. Students learned about the parts of trees, the functions of the parts, the life cycle of trees, and how trees benefit animals and humans. The visit culminated in a tree being planted at Folger’s temporary location, Chesapeake Bay Middle Schoo. Kindergarteners also participated in environmentally themed class science projects focusing on soil, decomposition, and recycling. Finally, Kindergarten monthly newsletters and homework are sent home electronically.

First grade has been doing a year-long study of the monarch butterfly. In the fall we got monarch caterpillars and raised them through all stages in our classroom tents. We released about 16 butterflies throughout the month of October. During the winter, we went to the greenhouse at CAT North where we did monarch activities and planted milk-week and other plants for our butterfly garden. In May, we planted these plants in our butterfly garden at our newly renovated school. In the fall, we will be able to find our own caterpillars from our butterfly garden and use the milk-weed leaves that we are growing to feed them.

Additionally, first grade raised two terrapins this year, as we have done for the past 6 or 7 years, through the head start program in conjunction with Arlington Echo and the MD Department of Natural Resources. First grade also learned about Integrated Pest Management (the use of natural processes of nature rather than pesticides) through study of a STEM unit called Marianna Becomes A Butterfly concentrating on Agricultural Engineering.

The 100+ students in second grade recently made their annual pilgrimage to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, MD.  During the day, students engaged in numerous hands-on lessons to bear witness to the importance of the Chesapeake.  Lessons focused on habitat exploration of aquatic and terrestrial animals, plants, water and soil.  The kids had a great time seining in the Bay to see what kind of habitat the Bay truly is, as well as examining oyster shells and trees.  Lessons also focused on how people influence the ecosystem.  This was evident, for example, when kids compared Chesapeake oyster shells of today to those of 50 years ago.  They could appreciate the considerable difference in size and how over-fishing, development, and activities on the Bay have affected the oysters; and how that in turn has resulted in the poor water quality of the Bay.  Students made connections to where they live, knowing that the Magothy River received a “D” on its report card and that they are not allowed to swim in the river following rain due to the poor water quality.  The lessons did not stop with understanding the situation and history; students also learned about what they need to be doing to solve the problem. By exploring nature through such hands-on, outdoor learning, the students appreciate and respect the natural world of which they are a part and the role they play in improving it.

The third graders at Folger have worked hard this year to maintain a “green” classroom environment. Students are mindful about recycling throughout the school day, both in the classroom and cafeteria. They have utilized the technology our school provides to help eliminate the use of extra paper. Dry erase boards are used often in math, and to reduce the use of tissues or paper towels as erasers, they reuse old socks. Third graders have also learned in science about water conservation and the use of a compost pile.

A week before Thanksgiving, Folger McKinsey’s fourth grade took a trip to Arlington Echo. The students experienced education in an outdoor setting during a series of hands-on activities. They tested water clarity and the effects of runoff pollution and sought solutions to each of these local environmental problems. The students also took time to learn about local crops and made their own applesauce. The trip was a great way for the students to experience the concepts that they were learning in science and see the practical application of their studies. The students are now researching an environmental issue that they will propose a policy or law change to help resolve the problem.

In the fall of 2011, fifth graders were tasked with solving erosion and stormwater management in the neighborhood around the school.  Classroom instruction, via a presentation from an Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Specialist, introduced the students to the challenges of development in the area and the impact to the water quality and habitat of the Chesapeake Bay.  Provided with information about native plants, the students applied their math skills to create a budget and plotted a map using native plants to help with stormwater management. Students took a field trip up the road to actually plant trees and shrubs to address the real-world problem.  This environmental project included a STEM project-based activity.

These are just some of the many examples of our students actively learning about the environment.  At Folger McKinsey, students are inspired to be life-long learners taking action to serve the environment in which they live!

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Sue Rodger is a First Grade Teacher and is the Environmental Committee Chairman at Folger McKinsey Elementary School.

Trio of Terrapins Teach Triadelphia Ridge Students

June 25th, 2012 by Carol

Triadelphia students learned about terrapin research and monitoring programs first-hand.

After wading through a small stretch of wetland, students prepared to release their terrapins.

Students each whispered a wish or a worry for their terrapins to carry with them upon their release.

A fun school year project may have been wrapped-up when students released their terrapins, but the stewardship ethics they learned and the passion for the Chesapeake Bay they acquired is something students will carry with them.

Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School fourth grade students spent an exciting and motivating school year learning about and caring for baby Diamondback Terrapins.  The terrapins named Ledo, Waffles, and Pebbles were located in a large aquarium in my Gifted and Talented classroom. They were on loan from the Terrapin Institute located in Neavitt, Maryland, as part of their Head-Start program.

The goal of the program is for the terrapins to spend the first 9 – 12 months of their lives eating and growing until they are large enough to increase their chance of surviving in the wild.  This program was a natural extension for the Triadelphia Ridge fourth grade students who had just completed a unit that focused on the conservation and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. The children were amazed to learn that the diamondback terrapin is believed to be the only turtle in the world that lives exclusively in brackish water. Throughout the year the children participated in feeding, weighing and measuring the baby Terrapins.  Students enjoyed learning about Terrapin biology, diet, behavior, and most importantly threats to Terrapins in the Chesapeake Bay. These threats included loss of habitat, pollution, and frequent drowning in crab traps.  The fourth grade students learned that installing a bycatch reduction device to crab pots is an effective way to reduce drowning of terrapins.

The program allowed for the students to experience a meaningful real-life connection to the Bay and will without a doubt positively affect the choices that the children make as they live and grow up in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  It is amazing how three little terrapins can light a fire of conservation and stewardship in a child.  The students understand that terrapin health, as well as the health of all living things in Bay is directly impacted by the health of the Bay waters.

On a sunny Saturday morning in early June, Triadelphia Ridge Families journeyed to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to release the Terrapins into the Bay. Jeff Popp from the Terrapin Institute tagged the Terrapins and coordinated the release.  The students gently placed the baby Terrapins into the water and watched them swim out to a bright and promising future.  The baby Terrapins carried with them a wish and a worry that each student whispered as they were released. The students were proud of how large their terrapins had grown but most importantly they have a new awareness of why and how they should and can make a difference in the health and well being of our local treasure, The Chesapeake Bay. This was truly a memorable experience for the students and staff of Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School.

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Carol Brzezinski is a gifted and talented resource teacher at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School

Teaching and Learning in a Green School: Integrating Environmental Stewardship into the Curriculum

May 21st, 2012 by Jeanne Gemmell

Our latest School Spotlight, Sidwell Friends School, was recently recognized in the first round of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program. The middle school building features a reclaimed wood exterior and passive solar strategies that utilize sunshades.

As in many schools, 8th grade students at Sidwell Friends School take an Environmental Science course.  The goal of the course is for students to learn the biological, physical, and ecological concepts required to understand the significance of four environmental issues (biodiversity loss, global climate change, water stress, and human population growth).  The students also examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing these issues, both individually and collectively.  At the conclusion of the course, students write a personal code of environmental ethics based upon their understandings of the issues, and place it in a manila envelope to be reopened when they are graduating seniors.

Significantly aiding in the teaching-learning process of this course is the Sidwell Friends Middle School building.  In September 2006, our Middle School faculty and students returned to a newly renovated building with an addition that almost doubled the size of the original 50-year-old building.   The new building became the first K-12 building in the world to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rating from the U. S. Green Building Council, and the first LEED Platinum building of any type in the District of Columbia.  The building was designed and constructed to be as environmentally progressive as possible, and includes the following features:

  • An energy efficient and passive solar design that includes:  lights that are controlled by occupancy sensors; photocells that automatically adjust the level of artificial lighting according to the amount of daylight available; a roof that exceeds the thermal property requirements of standard building design by 155% and walls that exceed the same requirements by a factor of three; windows that are twice as insulating as energy standard properties; a central air system which takes advantage of an “economizer” operation to eliminate mechanical cooling by bringing in fresh air when outside air temperatures are appropriate; and solar shades that have been erected in key solar orientations
  • A green roof which reduces the “urban heat island effect” preventing the building from heating up and reducing demand for air conditioning
  • A constructed wetland which treats waste water through a natural vegetative process without having to go to a municipal sewage plant.

The Environmental Science course begins by ensuring that students gain a thorough understanding of the Middle School green features- those that conserve energy, eliminate storm water runoff, reduce water pollution, use renewable and recycled materials, and provide both a healthy environment inside the building, and a wildlife-friendly natural habitat outside.  The remainder of the course is designed to provide clarity regarding the School’s decision to finance and construct the Middle School as a “living habitat” in which students could personally experience the interdependent systems necessary to operate a built space in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way.

Our Middle School facility provides an inspiring forum for our students to explore and debate the complex scientific, economic, ecological, and political realities that must be balanced in order for a society to meet its full range of needs for the present without undermining the ability of future generations to do the same.  This broad conception of sustainability, with its implicit compassion and concern for the well-being of all living things, resonates deeply with core Quaker values of simplicity of living, service to others, and environmental stewardship.  We believe the introduction of our LEED Platinum Middle School, and the subsequent attention to wise environmental practices in the operations and facilities throughout the school, have laid the foundation for a school-wide commitment to the principles of sustainability and global interdependence.

The Middle School building and the school’s underlying values have inspired a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities.  Presented below are some examples of innovative activities that Sidwell teachers have used to engage students in environmental education, while also preparing them to be “green carriers” of the future.  Working with the manager of the school web site, students wrote and recorded an on-line tour of the school’s platinum-rated building, with the hope that this would make it easier for others to learn about green architecture, and perhaps inspire some to construct their own green building.  To date, over 26,000 people have visited the site.  Students also designed the art work and accompanying text for a host of beautiful signs, placed in designated areas of the building, which interpret its many green features for visitors.  Roughly a third of the 8th grade students are trained every year as building tour guides.  These students are then able to competently explain the School’s green elements, from the rooftop gardens, solar chimneys, and photovoltaic systems, to the constructed wetlands and bio-pond; and, of course, to the labs, classrooms and art facilities in between.  Over 10,000 students, architects, and environmentally-concerned citizens have taken the guided tours of our school facility.

Sidwell Friends had three mutually supported objectives in designing the Middle School building: to create an aesthetically beautiful structure; to construct an environmentally high-performing building; and to provide a wonderful space for exceptional teaching and learning.  We feel our Middle School has successfully achieved all three of these goals.

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Raising Horseshoe Crabs in My Classroom

March 19th, 2012 by Eric Jayne

In Tank 1, Sandy the Horseshoe crab searches for food.

Horseshoe crabs, as a species, have lived for over 500 million years!  I often remind myself of that fact while observing the months-old horseshoe crabs my students and I are raising in our classroom.  Each school day, we’re able to witness a living fossil, and we’re helping insure that future generations can, too.

Several years ago, I was looking to offer more hands-on learning experiences to my fifth-grade science students.  Our school is a short distance away from the Chesapeake Bay, but we do very little to experience and learn from this tremendous resource.  In the course of researching possible field trips, I discovered that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (D.N.R.) had a program allowing teachers to raise horseshoe crabs in their classrooms. At the time, I didn’t know much about horseshoe crabs, other than that I would occasionally see their awkward-looking shells on the beach.  However, raising an animal from the Bay was the type of hands-on experience I was looking to provide my students with, so I signed up.  Three years and over 60 successfully-raised crabs later, I am extremely grateful and proud to be part of a program that allows my students and me to learn about and protect this valuable natural resource.

Atlantic horseshoe crabs come ashore in late spring to spawn on Atlantic coast beaches, including those within the Chesapeake Bay.  During this time, female horseshoe crabs lay thousands of eggs.  The Maryland D.N.R. collects some of these eggs and distributes several hundred of them to each participant of its Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program.  Participants attempt to raise the eggs into healthy juvenile horseshoe crabs that can be released back into the waters of the Bay the following spring.

Each year, for the past three years, I’ve collected eggs from the D.N.R. and brought them to tanks in my classroom.  I monitor the crabs throughout the summer as they hatch, test their water quality, and feed them.  By the time students arrive in September, juvenile horseshoe crabs are “swimming” throughout the tanks.  A colleague of mine, Chris Brown, and I meet with students once a week during recess throughout the school year to learn about horseshoe crabs and to test the water quality of the tanks.  Using guest speakers, hands-on demonstrations, and research, students learn about the history, habitat, anatomy, challenges, benefits, and life cycle of horseshoe crabs.  They learn that horseshoe crabs help save human lives and that other species depend on them for survival, as well.  The learning experience culminates with the exciting release of the raised crabs back into the Chesapeake Bay each May during a D.N.R. sponsored release event.

We have horseshoe crabs throughout four tanks in our school.  Tank 1 contains three crabs from my first year (2009) with the program.  We didn’t release these crabs that year because they were very small compared to their siblings, two of them were missing tails, and one of them was even missing some legs.  However, after numerous molts, or shedding of their shells, the crabs have all of their legs and tails accounted for.  The largest of these crabs, or Sandy, as my students call it, measures about five inches from front to tail tip.  Tanks 2 and 3 contain several juvenile crabs that hatched last summer.  These “baby” crabs are no bigger than the end of an eraser on a pencil.  Tank 4 contains eighteen crabs that hatched in the summer of 2010, and they range in size from the diameter of a dime to the diameter of a fifty-cent piece.  Most of these crabs will be put back into the Chesapeake Bay this May to join the twenty-nine other horseshoe crabs that we’ve already released.

I’ve gained a lot from raising horseshoe crabs in my classroom, including learning to appreciate and respect them.  Of course, I’ve learned how to care for them, but they don’t really need much from me.  After all, they’ve been at this for longer than people have.  Most of my time is spent enjoying them and admiring how unique they are.  I enjoy the way that the three-year old crabs come out to “greet” me when I turn the lights on each morning.  I like watching them make patterns in the sand, including flattening out areas that I’ve disturbed.  I’m fascinated at how two of the three-year-olds re-grew legs and tails, but most of all, I’m in awe that a creature can be so simple and yet so amazing.

Additional Resources:

A Pointers Run Elementary School student holds a juvenile horseshoe crab on the day of its release back into the wild in May, 2011.

  • Additional information about my school’s program can be found at our website.
  • Information on the Maryland D.N.R. Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program is available here.
  • A great Nature video clip from “Crash: A Tale of Two Species” about the plight of the horseshoe crab and a little bird called the red knot is available here.
  • A free teachers guide to accompany the “Crash: A Tale of Two Species” video is available here.
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Eric Jayne is a 5th grade teacher at Pointers Run Elementary School in Maryland.

Geocaching at Southern Guilford High School

January 30th, 2012 by Mark Case

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game in which participants use GPS-enabled devices to navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates, and then search for the geocache (container) hidden at that location. This geocache was hidden in the center of a hollow tree!

“I use billion dollar technology to find Tupperware containers in the woods.”  I love that saying and it is so true!  I get to play with some of the most sophisticated technology on the planet and find my way in the woods, or park or even the city.  I am using a GPS, showing students how to use them, and having fun!

Most of my students have not spent more than an hour outside in the past week.  That includes the time walking from their house, to the bus, from the bus to school and back.  Geocaching gives me the opportunity to get students outdoors, using 21st century learning skills combining nature and technology.

On campus, I set up geocaching courses where students use GPS units to find clue sheets hidden in containers around campus.  They learn how to use the technology and how it relates to latitude, longitude, elevation and topography.   The PE department has followed this idea by setting up courses on campus property.  Instead of walking in an oval 5 times for a mile, students can use GPS devices to locate the 5 clip boards, answer a few questions, learn and get their exercise.

I offer students an opportunity to earn extra credit with geocaching.  They can find a minimum of 10 geocaches, place a geocache and prepare a report for grade recovery.  Parents, students and I meet before they embark on the activity.  Students check out a GPS unit (or use the APP on their phone) and sign a contract (deadlines and expectations).

One Saturday, I offered to meet parents and students at a local park with 10 active geocaches.  I taught how to navigate to the caches, proper logging, swapping swag and replacing for the next player.  Four families showed and told me this was the first ‘family event’ they have done in months.  Along the trail, we stopped and examined animal tracks, types of rocks, lichens, listened to bird songs, calculated water flow rates in a creek and estimated wind speed without technology.

What I have found is students are having fun.  When they have fun, they learn and do more.  They are contagious to other students and their families.  Students that get involved have increased their grades and interest in class (in most cases, all their classes).  Additionally one student has stopped his chronic absences.  He knows if he is not in class, he cannot check out the GPS on the weekend.

Last month, one student asked if he could make a career doing geocaching!  At first, I giggled to myself.  How…… then I thought…. “SOMEONE HAS TO DESIGN THOSE SATELLITES!!!” and told him yes.  We spent nearly ½ hour after school during learning lab brain storming how he could make money with this hobby.

To learn more about how geocaching can be used in the classroom, visit the educational forum on www.Geocaching.com. You can ask questions, post lessons and download lesson plans from other educators for free.

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Mark Case is a high school science teacher at Southern Guilford High School in Greensboro, NC. Mark serves on the North Carolina Science Teacher Association board of directors as District 5 Director. He is an active Geocacher with over 3000 finds, 100 hides and is a moderator on the Geocaching.com education forum.

Teacher to Ranger to Teacher

August 22nd, 2011 by Ruth Goodlaxson

Ruth Goodlaxson was participated in the National Park Service's Teacher to Ranger to Teacher program at the Chesapeake Bay Office this summer.

My term as Teacher-Ranger-Teacher was not what I expected.  Normally I teach special education at The Crossroads School, a public charter in Baltimore. This program was introduced to me as an opportunity to become a park ranger for the summer, bringing my new connections to the Park Service back to school with me.  I envisioned taming trails in the woods, fixing fences, digging post holes, and getting my hands dirty. I thought I would go back to school buff and tan. As it turns out, my conception of park ranger was a little limited. The experience I got, though not what I expected, has been a lot of fun, and very educational.

I was brought on to help with the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. Because the bicentennial of the War of 1812 is fast approaching, the National Parks Service is working hard to create educational signage for Maryland’s historic sites, among other things. I’ve learned more about the War of 1812 than I knew there was to learn. And it’s interesting stuff! I’ve also gotten to see some parts of Maryland I never would have seen, despite being a native. My primary projects were to help build a database of War of 1812 lesson plans and resources for MPT’s Thinkport website, and to create a presentation for teachers to educate them about the history and multitude of local resources.

Recently, I got to spend the day out on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail with Abbi Wicklein-Bayne, the project coordinator. We visited sites that would potentially qualify for one of 150 signs being placed around the area. We visited Port Deposit, Maryland, a beautiful little town nestled somewhat precariously between the Susquehanna River and a mountain.  The town was the site of a gun battery, though the British chose to land on the opposite riverbank. We got a tour of Elk’s Landing in Elkton, Maryland, an historic manor house that still houses 19th century artifacts – even a letter signed by Thomas Jefferson was found shoved into a book in the attic, though it later was sold. We learned that Elkton was saved by a 20 year old in slavery, who, when order by British officers to take them to the town, led them instead to the American militia. It has been such a pleasure meeting people who are so knowledgeable, passionate, and enthusiastic about their local history, and who are doing the service of collecting these stories.

I most look forward to the maintained connection with the Parks Service when school begins again. Already, I know that students from my school will be able to participate in Young Defender’s Day at Fort McHenry. There is a plan for service learning opportunities in the works as well; my students will be able to complete service learning hours in one of the National Parks. This is such an important connection for them, especially the students in my classes. When school is frustrating, it becomes even more important to give students a chance to be outside, working and learning in a hands-on, interactive way. Hopefully, they’ll remember the history part too!

For additional information on the National Park Service’s Teacher to Ranger to Teacher Program, please visit http://www.nps.gov/learn/trt/

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Ruth Goodlaxson is a special education teacher at The Crossroads School in Baltimore, Maryland and was selected to participate in the National Park Service's 2011 Teacher to Ranger to Teacher program at the Chesapeake Bay Office.

School Spotlight: St. Mary’s River Project

August 15th, 2011 by Jon Barkley

St. Mary's River Project Education Program

SMRP, which stands for St. Mary’s River Project, has been educating students about the environment, the Chesapeake Bay, and its watershed for the past ten years.  SMRP began as an initiative by Robert Paul and Chris Tanner, two St. Mary’s College of Maryland professors who wanted to investigate matters related to the water quality and ecological health of the St. Mary’s River and Chesapeake Bay.  SMRP Education was developed as a stewardship component of this effort.

Through SMRP Education, teams of St. Mary’s College students go into local 5th grade classrooms to teach for one hour a week over a 10-week period about the importance of watersheds and the Bay.  We cover environmental science topics that are likely to pop up on MSA testing, however, more importantly; it is our goal to make learning fun and foster a passion of caring about the environment.

Our lesson plans cover a variety of topics including food chains/webs, wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), fish anatomy, organisms of the Bay, native and exotic species, and pollution.  We ask students to think of their own solutions to problems facing the Bay.  As instructors, we are always amazed by the lucid responses by the students as well as their perspective on situations and ethical dilemmas facing the Bay.  However, it is also clear that some students lack a lot of this knowledge, and have trouble verbalizing something seemingly simple, such as pollution.  Thus, we work hard to think of creative lesson plans and do anything from rapping, dancing, or drawing to make concepts easier to understand.  Even though ostensibly the purpose of SMRP is to educate the students, we learn a lot from them and have lots of fun along the way.

One of the highlights of the club is when we invite the students to come to our college to participate in Outreach day.  At Outreach day, students get an opportunity to seine for fish, learn about oysters, tour our wet lab, and walk across a real marsh while learning about its plants.  Beginning in the fall, we will start a new semester and work with a new group of 5th graders.  Last year we were fortunate enough to work with approximately 200 students and hope to maintain the same interest in 2011-2012. We look forward to developing some new lesson plans and keeping our program strong so we can continue to educate the students who represent the future health of the Bay and the general environment.

Check out the links below to our club website and the St. Mary’s watershed association:

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Jon Barkley is the President of the St. Mary’s River Project Education Club and a student at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
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