Every Student Learns Outside™

Chestatee High School, Gainesville, GA

When kids take the lead, good things happen.

A drought in north Georgia led students in Nick Scheman’s Environmental Sciences classes at Chestatee High School in Gainesville to ask questions. How was Lake Lanier, the large reservoir that supplies water to Atlanta and environs, affected? What was water quality like in the streams that fed into the lake? What conservation measures would make a difference?

Scheman did what many good teachers do—he let his students figure out the answers.

Start with a Stream

After monitoring a stream on the school property, the students wanted to step up their efforts to learn about the watershed and share what they learned by building an outdoor classroom. 

Designing and constructing the classroom is a great focal point for the school and the community. The environmental science and construction classes worked together to build the structure, almost complete except for seating and a podium. Funding came from a Project Learning Tree’s GreenWorks! grant, a grant from Lowe’s, and some money from the school administration for native landscaping.

Now students are building trails to connect the space to the high school and a nearby middle school. Next up: planting native vegetation and nurturing seeds from some of Gainesville’s historic dogwoods, maples, and other trees. High school students will also use PLT and Project Wild to develop activities for younger kids.

Keep Up the Momentum

One challenge many schools face is how to keep a multi-year project going. Each year, kids cycle in and out of classes and extracurricular activities, then graduate. Scheman shared a few ways that have worked at Chestatee:

·        Look ahead: Upperclassmen have more responsible roles, such as heading up small committees. Younger students know they can “move up” and take on these roles.

·        Provide lots of choices: Some class time has been devoted to the project, but students can also help out after school, during a once-monthly “club period,” and other times that may fit with their schedules.

·        Record community service hours: Scheman records students’ community service hours dedicated to the project. Students can keep track of their hours from year to year, and set goals over time.

·        Let the students lead: As Scheman said, students began asking questions when they saw what was happening to the lake. They collected water samples and sent data to Georgia’s Adopt-a-Stream. They will compare water quality after the September 2009 floods that hit Georgia with periods of drought.  “Follow what kids like, what interests them,” he said. “Let them pick the issue.”