Round 1 Grant Recipient
The Grangeville Elementary School was awarded a grant in early 2022 for second and third graders to take field trips to local natural ecosystems to learn about wilderness.
Grangeville Elementary School teacher, Melissa Smith, said:
“We had great success with this grant and cannot thank you enough for the opportunity to enrich our students’ lives. This grant helped to make two field trips possible for 120 students. Not only did our students and teachers benefit from this project but our partnerships were strengthened within this project. We formed a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, Forest Service, community members, BLM, and many parents who joined us for the field days.”
The school supplied each student with science notebooks for recording observations. They enjoyed two field experiences in the spring of 2022: One to Tolo Lake and the Mammoth Exhibit and one to Hammer Creek Recreation Area. At each field experience, local Forest Service personnel, Bureau of Land Management employees, and volunteers, led interactive stations for the students to experience.
Stations included water table demonstrations, Leave No Trace training, water safety and PDF fittings, native animal skull and pelt identification, and salmon lifecycle and art projects.
According to Melissa, the students “learned lifelong lessons about the wilderness areas and the history of the Grangeville area. They also learned how our rivers are part of our everyday life. In addition, our partnership with the community was strengthened. To be successful in the classroom, we feel it is paramount to partner with our community to form the strong bonds that will move us forward, together.”