To print or email this project's page, go to the lower right hand corner of your screen and select "E-mail this page" or "Print View" and follow the instructions from there. If you have questions, contact Kristen McKinnon.
|Project Title: ||Ecosystem Preservation|
|School Year: ||2006|
|School - District:||J S Sullivan - North Adams|
|Contact Name:||Linda Reardon|
|Content-Area(s):||Science & Technology|
|Brief Description of SL Project: |
High School students in a Conservation class invited fourth grade students studying ecosystems to help them determine the causes of erosion and dying plant life along the hiking paths and streams around Windsor Lake Park owned by the City of North Adams. After identifying problem areas and causes, high school students constructed two new bridges over water ways, and fourth grade students created signage about plant life, care of ecosystems and directions for proper trail use.
|The Community Need the Project is Meeting:|
The City of North Adams expressed growing concern for potential damage from continued erosion of the trails at the park, and increasing costs to repeatedly repair damaged areas. Students visited the park several times for first-hand observation and assessment of the problems.
|Service Component: |
Fourth graders designed signage that was then digitally reproduced and enlarged, and hung them in appropriate places at the park. Service hours totaled approximately 8 hours.
High school students construced two small walking bridges at the school, and installed them at the park. Service hours totaled approximately 25 hours.
The potential impact for the preservation of the hiking paths and the hundreds of patrons that visit the park each summer is immeasurable.
|Connections with Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: |
Science (Earth/Space Science) standard 12; (Life Science/Biology) standards 5-11; and (Technology/Engineering)standards 1.1-1.3 and 2.1-2.3.
|How Youth Voice Helps Shape Project:|
Youth voice could be utilized in this project by making the students responsible for the research that leads up to the service. This way, students may decide (perhaps with the help of experts) what they feel the priorities of the project should be.
Youth voice can also be solicited after the service if students become park guides for a day so they may employ the facts they learned about plant life and what they've suggested for trail use.
|Student Reflection Component: |
Students engaged in reflection and planning after each visit to the lake through discussion, writing and data analysis.
|Community Partners Involved: |
Community partners could include the North Adams Department of Parks and Recreation, area non-profit organizations devoted to the environment or conservation, local lumber companies or hardware stores and/or printing or publishing companies in the area.
|Demonstration/Celebration of Students' Work: |
The installation of the bridges and signage was a day of collaboration, fun and celebration!
|Evaluation of Project’s Impact:|
Students have and will continue to revisit the site to provide routine maintenance and assess for new damage.
|Challenges/Solutions Identified by District:|
The project created many positive relationships and impacts for participants and beneficiaries. The only challenge was scheduling for collaborative planning time given the different demands on the school and work hours of those involved. Studnts were thrilled at both levels to be a part of the direct application of their curricula out in the field!
* NOTE: This project summary was written by the district/community. Any text in italics was added or modified by the Department (ESE). Most of these projects were supported with Learn & Serve America funds distributed through the ESE.