Applicant and/or teacher sponsor:
Amalia Abrojena, Marina Cochran-Keith, Amanda Woodward and Advanced Science Teacher Steve Jurist
Student Groups /Teachers/ Community Members/ Partnerships Involved:
Initial project is a collaboration of high school students from Point Arena and Mendocino. The finished product will be presented to various student groups from different schools in our area.
Steve Jurist
The Point Arena Harbormaster--Bill Pettigrew, a local geologist, various citizens including; surfers, fishermen, divers, historians, Game Wardens, etc.
Local Chamber of Commerce, Dept. of Fish & Game
Number of students affected:
2,000
Length of project:
seven to nine months
1. Brief description of the project:
The handbook will be both a scientific and recreational resource, containing information about selected local beaches that will include: scientific and geological measurements, diagrams and facts, historical events, an identification section for sea life, recreational information, ocean conservation information, maps, photos, drawings, etc. In addition, our project includes presentations to many schools and organizations, as well as a web site that will be developed in conjunction with the handbook.
2. Connections
How does the project connect with our theme of people, history, and place?How does the project interact with the community?
How will you evaluate or assess the community impact?
How does the project connect with other NCRCN sites?
Our handbook will promote awareness about local history and ocean resources. By distributing this information to the community and visitors from around the world, we hope to educate people and therefore create respect and an increased involvement in the preservation of our local beaches.
The finished handbook will be presented and distributed throughout the community by members of our group. We will present to many local elementary schools, with a goal to educate the younger children of our community about the importance of taking care of our beaches and preserving local sealife.
The impact of our project on the community will be measured in many ways. The number of handbooks sold or distributed will reflect community interest, as well as feedback from students we present to, and visits to our Web site which will be created along with the handbook. We also expect to hear direct feedback from members in our community pertaining to the success of our project.
3. Student Learning
How will the project improve student learning?How will you evaluate or assess what students have learned?
What kind of data will you collect?
Will you have an Action Research question?
How will students be involved in the evaluation of the project?
How does the project invite student planning/student choice?
How will students share their project and learning with others at their own site, other sites or within the community?
Will your project have a service learning component? If so please describe.
Our project will be a valuable educational resource for fellow and younger students, as well as an example of students getting involved in the community and taking an interest in preserving local natural resources. We feel that our influence on the younger children in our community will be substantial; we want to be positive role models and set a precedent for future science students at Point Arena, and hopefully other schools as well. We will be able to assess our impact on other students simply by observing them and receiving feedback. Since we will be working directly with groups of high school and elementary students during the information gathering process, we will be able to judge just how much interest we are generating among our peers and the younger children involved. One major way we will generate interest is by including various student groups in the gathering of information for our project. We will be working directly with elementary school and high school students at each or most of the beaches we will be outlining. They will help us observe, measure, and assess beaches. Every student involved will be acknowledged in the handbook for their contribution to both the finished product, and the ultimate goal of involving more students in community issues and activities.
4. Support
What kind of support would you like from the coordinator/TSA?What kinds of funds will you need for the project? Please supply a general budget. (Staff development, release time for planning, transportation, materials.)
What other sources might provide additional funding for the project?
We will need assistance from our project coordinator in arranging field trips with other students to different beaches. We will also need funding to pay for the costs of publishing the handbook. Here are the estimated costs for publishing:
to cover copying, binding and front cover
We will also be able to cover costs by selling the finished product at various local businesses and by ourselves. However, we will need funding before the handbook is even finished in order to have it published.