The 2017-18 School Year is the 2nd year of our NOAA sponsored “Climate Resiliency Fellows” Program.  Our aim is to “Create a dynamic community of informed teachers committed to involving their students in learning about and engaging in local climate change issues and climate resiliency projects.”  Many thanks to all of our hard working teachers and students!

The following is from Marshall Middle School Citizen Science Institute Teacher Matthew Phillipy:

It’s that time of year when most kids are bouncing off the walls anticipating the onset of summer vacation, their teachers are winding down another school year by cleaning rooms, returning books, finalizing grades and signing year books. By mid June we are all ready for a break; often times we look to the wilderness for that break.  As badly as I wanted to go for a hike or go camping or take my kayak out this past weekend, I realized I had the amazingly dumb ideas to schedule a service learning camp out at Mount Rainier National Park for my students.This meant I would not be getting the break I needed to finish the last few days on a good note with a fully recharged battery. No, it meant I had sacrificed three days and two nights of my personal time to supervise kids in the woods with sharp tools.  As much as I regretted booking this trip now that the time had come I knew why I was doing it and that was to help my students better understand that all these field trips we have done over the years were made possible by hard working volunteers throughout the 20th century. I knew this trip would be exhausting but vital to their understanding that nothing is free and that if we want nice trails and parks to hike on and visit we all need to chip in some volunteer time to keep up our favorite places.

As it turned out the trip was exhausting but also rejuvenating too. We worked hard clearing brush on the Wonderland Trail all day. The kids did not complain once! We hiked a lot, we hung out by the campfire, I played my banjo the kids played games, did dishes after meals and learned how to maintain a campsite. It was an awesome trip and I can’t wait to do it again. Turns out when we care about science and we are willing to serve a little we can all be stewards of the last best places.