Press Release
Update to AGW grant
Apples Get Wet (AGW) is a watershed study. The Musselman Science department has earned three grants this past summer from Ecolab, The Norcross Wildlife Foundation, and The Toshiba Foundation to fund this project. Additionally, AGW has several partners: The Eastern Panhandle Soil and Water Conservation District, the Cacapon Institute, Friends of Opequon Creek, (Kiersten Bivens delivered an informational slideshow to this group March 3rd.) and the Shawnee Girls Scouts. The Health Science and Technology Academy (HSTA) and the Conceptual Chemistry class are spear-heading the project. Students are collecting data, marking “hot spots” on the School property, learning about watershed dynamics, and participating in a Stream Cleaner activity with the Cacapon Institute. Sara Wurtenberg, with the Eastern Panhandle Soil and Water Conservation District, has brought in an Enviroscape watershed model to perform class demonstrations and to instruct students how to present the model. HSTA and the Conceptual Chemistry class have three upcoming dates (3-23, 3-30, and 4-14) to travel to Millcreek Intermediate to teach fifth graders watershed dynamics with the Enviroscape model.
Frank Rodgers, with the Cacapon Institute, delivered a slide-show overview of watershed dynamics in the fall; he works directly with HSTA and the Conceptual Chemistry class approximately twice a month. Frank has helped annotate Google Earth with Musselman’s “hot spots”. Frank is in the process of locating a landscape architect to work with Musselman’s CAD class to develop a plan for a rain garden at the School. Presently, the Conceptual class in participating in a mediated discussion board, called Stream Cleaners along with about three hundred students from Virginia and West Virginia. Cloe Raines, a Musselman student, has created a model “green roof” as a science fair project. Cacapon, Opequon, and Shawnee have promised to help with some funding to help with its installation. Frank has already invested several hours working directly with Musselman students to help launch AGW well in this its first year and to create a School survey to serve as the basis of an on-going watershed study.
Jane Barvir, with Shawnee Girl Scouts, is sponsoring a WET team at Musselman. There are about fifteen interested students who meet after-school on Thursdays. This program allows any Musselman student an opportunity to participate. Students who log thirty volunteer hours related to the grant goals may earn a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium in May. Shawnee is underwriting an Enviroscape model, buses for several field trips, and the cost of substitutes to cover for teachers chaperoning field trips. Shawnee has established WET teams in schools both in Virginia and West Virginia.
There are several upcoming dates planned; March 23rd, March 30th, and April 14th, students will use the Enviroscape model to teach Millcreek fifth graders watershed dynamics. On April 20th (April 24th is the rain date.), students will install a rain garden in celebration of Earth Day. On April 28th, HSTA and Conceptual students will participate in a stream study. (This is also part of the TMI trip HSTA took in the fall.) Additionally, there are plans for students from the Middle School and a primary school to bring students to Musselman for watershed instruction.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Updates!
2-13-09
Frank Rodgers worked with the Conceptual Class on Tuesday in the computer lab. The kids explored the updated map on the Cacapon website and completed an on-line survey to determine their watershed background. On Wednesday, the class read several articles regarding watershed terms and issues. Sara Wurtenberberg brought the Enviroscape model in Thursday to go over watershed dynamics. My goal is for the Conceptual class to be able to teach other classes the concepts using the Enviroscape model. These students have already exceeded my expectations.
Frank Rodgers worked with the Conceptual Class on Tuesday in the computer lab. The kids explored the updated map on the Cacapon website and completed an on-line survey to determine their watershed background. On Wednesday, the class read several articles regarding watershed terms and issues. Sara Wurtenberberg brought the Enviroscape model in Thursday to go over watershed dynamics. My goal is for the Conceptual class to be able to teach other classes the concepts using the Enviroscape model. These students have already exceeded my expectations.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
More computer work...
2-10-09
Frank Rodgers, with Cacapon Institute, came today to work with the students in one of the School's computer lab. Frank has updated the web site to reflect some of Musselman's data. The Conceptual Chemistry class looked at the map with the other schools participating with Cacapon and completed the site's survey. After class, Mr. Rodgers met with Mr. Brock to explore the possibility of including the CAD class to complete some of the landscape plans. Today, T.J., Megan, Tessa, Marisol, and Tiff also went did a campus clean-up. Lastly, Tessa spent time outside taking more photos of "hot spots" for the cacapon website.
Frank Rodgers, with Cacapon Institute, came today to work with the students in one of the School's computer lab. Frank has updated the web site to reflect some of Musselman's data. The Conceptual Chemistry class looked at the map with the other schools participating with Cacapon and completed the site's survey. After class, Mr. Rodgers met with Mr. Brock to explore the possibility of including the CAD class to complete some of the landscape plans. Today, T.J., Megan, Tessa, Marisol, and Tiff also went did a campus clean-up. Lastly, Tessa spent time outside taking more photos of "hot spots" for the cacapon website.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Student Volunteer Time Sheet
Here is the time sheet for you to check on the hours logged.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pi2QovgVZ56fbRCCZ96DoBw
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pi2QovgVZ56fbRCCZ96DoBw
Student Logs
Add your hours logged to the spreadsheet posted as a comment with your first name; a student will keep track of the hours in a spreadsheet.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Slide Shows!
The kids are psyched! A local environmental organization has invited the students to present their project. The students are completing powerpoint slide shows to present in class this week. Then, each group will be prepared to go out and speak. A team of volunteers and teacher's aides are coming in Thursday to critique the presentations. My hope is for the kids to get a little practive and feed-back before taking their show on the road.
Student comments
The Conceptual Chemistry class is directing the watershed study. Their assigment is to comment about the experience. Here are some of their remarks.
Sam-The students believe that Apples Get Wet sounds a little seamy there is a contest to make up another name.
Samantha- A “hotspot” where there is pollution.
Stephen- Our class looks for places where they have water collected so we can see its depth.
Presley- A watershed is where water collects and includes lakes and streams.
Kirsten- Apples Get Wet is a group of Musselman students who have taken interest in the land around the school. They are studying the watershed and “hot spots” on our campus. They are taking pictures and recording information of what we discover along with collecting the data. They are also testing the water and finding areas where they could clean up for cleaner water run off to the Chesapeake Bay.
Amanda- The students GPS unit where “hot spots” are they did this to make sure that they tested the same area so that the data did change. Also they have done this to show the areas on Google Earth.
Emily- The clean-up is a part of this watershed study. It will help clean our environment, and make it much better for our world. By planting trees, picking trash up, and putting down new mulch, soil, the students can take part in this clean-up by helping with the watershed project.
Dustin- The purpose of these tests is to help clean up the water and the run off also to help clean all the water around the school. We are trying to help people to clean up all water sheds.
Alonzo- One source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay is non point source pollution types of non point source pollutants include weed killers, fertilization, and sediment. These run into any watershed causing pollution.
William- To help prevent “hot spots.”
Sam-The students believe that Apples Get Wet sounds a little seamy there is a contest to make up another name.
Samantha- A “hotspot” where there is pollution.
Stephen- Our class looks for places where they have water collected so we can see its depth.
Presley- A watershed is where water collects and includes lakes and streams.
Kirsten- Apples Get Wet is a group of Musselman students who have taken interest in the land around the school. They are studying the watershed and “hot spots” on our campus. They are taking pictures and recording information of what we discover along with collecting the data. They are also testing the water and finding areas where they could clean up for cleaner water run off to the Chesapeake Bay.
Amanda- The students GPS unit where “hot spots” are they did this to make sure that they tested the same area so that the data did change. Also they have done this to show the areas on Google Earth.
Emily- The clean-up is a part of this watershed study. It will help clean our environment, and make it much better for our world. By planting trees, picking trash up, and putting down new mulch, soil, the students can take part in this clean-up by helping with the watershed project.
Dustin- The purpose of these tests is to help clean up the water and the run off also to help clean all the water around the school. We are trying to help people to clean up all water sheds.
Alonzo- One source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay is non point source pollution types of non point source pollutants include weed killers, fertilization, and sediment. These run into any watershed causing pollution.
William- To help prevent “hot spots.”
Monday, December 22, 2008
Corey's post
This is going places! Walking around the School was fun. Outside we were investigating oil spots, run-off, and erosion. Mr. Rodgers calls them "hot spots".
Tiffany's blog
Tiffany’s Blog
Let’s see we have been working on a watershed grant with Mr. Rogers from Capacon Institute .We have gone outside and collected water and sampled it once we got back in class. There are a lot of different sample kits that you get to use for the water that you have collected. I have helped with setting up the data table that we have collected on an Excel spread sheet. I keep track of making sure that the data gets put up every time we sample it with the date is was sampled on. We have a blogging site and we post blogs about everything that we have done so far since we got this grant.
Mr. Rogers has given up his time to come and help us learn more about watersheds and what they are good for. They help us when we need to choose which place is best to catch water so it drains back in to the earth and we help plants out this way.
Let’s see we have been working on a watershed grant with Mr. Rogers from Capacon Institute .We have gone outside and collected water and sampled it once we got back in class. There are a lot of different sample kits that you get to use for the water that you have collected. I have helped with setting up the data table that we have collected on an Excel spread sheet. I keep track of making sure that the data gets put up every time we sample it with the date is was sampled on. We have a blogging site and we post blogs about everything that we have done so far since we got this grant.
Mr. Rogers has given up his time to come and help us learn more about watersheds and what they are good for. They help us when we need to choose which place is best to catch water so it drains back in to the earth and we help plants out this way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)