West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science
Project Description:
Students researched, planned, planted, and maintained a community garden of native species and locally cultivated species. The heritage garden idea was selected based on the needs of the new elementary building infrastructure. The garden features native plants that help provide habitat and collect rainwater from the school campus. Students in grades preK-12th grade learned about native plants, rain gardens, and natural landscaping through this garden area. One feature that was highlighted is seed saving and the importance of maintaining a variety of plants. Classes also added native plants to the used the campus' existing five-acre prairie and will harvest the seeds to grow more native plants in the prairie.
The garden will be featured as an educational tool for the school's environmental science classes (PreK-12th) and annual summer camp programs to teach our students, families, and community about environmental and watershed issues. Since the garden is located right next the front entrance of the school, students have enhanced the area with a sign, allowing visitors to stop and smell the wildflowers while learning the importance of native plants.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship:
Students have deepened their stewardship habits through connecting to the school prairie and to the native garden.
Partners:
Kent Conservation District, Plaster Creek Stewards
Teachers:
4
Students:
250
Funder:
Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
Project Description:
WMAES continued investing in the native garden and campus prairie.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship:
Students who worked on this project are more aware of native plants around them. At the prairie, students can recognize the plants in the prairie that are in the garden. Students also are showing their parents the garden and pointing out different plants. They were so proud to show their work off to their parents! This project combined the Enviroscape and the garden into a lesson and they were able to see first hand how plants can absorb pollutants and keep them out of our watershed.
Partners:
Kent Conservation District, Plaster Creek Stewards
Teachers:
4
Students:
250
Funder:
Baldwin Foundation
Showcase Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-FoFibpcvo
Project Description:
3rd, 5th and 8th graders were involved in many place-based projects during the course of the year. 3rd graders traveled to the Outdoor Discovery Center and learned the history of the Three Fires by throwing atlatls, visiting a wigwam and Summer Village, and trying some edible plants. 5th graders took part in a salmon release project at the Rogue River and learned how wild rice grew along the river and how it was grown, harvested, and processed. They also used a shave horse to make a replica paddle that was used in the parching process of wild rice. 8th graders took a tour of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids to experience the areas where the local Native Americans lived and learned how they used the river to survive. After our tour we visited our school river property in Belmont and created plans to revitalize the property. Finally 8th graders took part in an exciting clay project where they used clay harvested from the local area, cleaned it, and made replica vessels that were made to cook Maple sugar. Students made the vessels and fired them in a pit outside in the school forest.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship:
The students are excited about rivers! They are asking questions and telling stories. They are already making plans for next year, and that is exciting for them and for us as a school community. Their excitement and involvement will spill over into our school. We’ve seen it happen over and over and students want more of this type of education and ask for teachers’ to change in order to provide them with hands on project based learning.
Partners:
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Ron Yaub
Teachers:
4
Students:
184
Funder:
GVSU College of Education
Showcase Video:
https://youtu.be/cGUWGVda6Nw
Project Description:
Two of our senior Capstone students transformed weedy areas into new pollinator gardens. They researched, designed the gardens, removed the weeds, transplanted the plants and also woodchipped each area. They also designed signs that are in the garden spaces, so we remember their hard work as the gardens grow over the years. In the fall they worked with classes to plant natives into our school prairie as well as visiting classrooms this winter to further educate the 3rd grade and MS on the importance of native plants and how they affect pollinators. This spring the high school students worked with an expert and planted more native plants from seed and will grow these in the greenhouse this summer.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship:
As always, at WMAES, our seniors leave us with new knowledge about the natural world. Providing them the tools, funds and partnerships to complete their project has lit a fire under them. They were so excited to watch the gardens they planted come to life, they took their siblings and their parents to see what they made, they both told me that they are so excited to get to college so they can learn more about environmental science. The students also had a seed give away at our open house in April. They created seed packets, printed them and filled them with native seeds from Michigan Wildflower Farm. This was a great experience for them, as they were able to interact with new and returning families and explain why they were giving the seeds away.
Partners:
More Trees, LLC
Teachers:
Shawn Wessel, 5th-8th Grade, Environmental Science; Heather Garner, 3rd Grade, Science; Emma Howard, 3rd Grade, Science; Megan Anderson, 3rd Grade, Science; Heather Fitzgerald, 9th-12th Grade, Environmental Science; Clare Van Ord, 12th Grade, High School Capstone; Holly Orians, K-12th Grades, Environmental Science
Students:
193
Funder:
The Baldwin Foundation
Showcase Video: https://youtu.be/MhipD0l3q4w