Donning waders to plant eelgrass in Mariners' Lake, conducting water quality testing and learning about various kinds of fish using a simulation were all part of a school day for Denbigh High School ninth graders on April 17.
\r\nThousands of NNPS biology and environmental science students have participated in an ongoing experiential learning program through a partnership with The Mariners' Museum and Park that continues to teach them. A three-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and funded through the Bay Watershed Education and Training program has allowed students to participate in the large-scale watershed restoration project as a learning lab.
\r\nMuseum officials are committed to continuing the program, which other local school divisions have joined since NNPS began participating in 2021.
\r\nAs Denbigh science teacher Kathryn Hamilton's environmental science students took their turn, science educators from The Mariners' Museum informed them every step of the way through the three educational stations of activities.
\r\nAside from the obvious appeal of leaving school for a brief adventure, there are real advantages to this engagement opportunity.
\r\n\"What they're doing here ties directly into what we're learning about,\" Hamilton said. \"Right now we're working on ecosystems and we're talking about how different ecosystems interact and what abiotic and biotic things are. Next unit we'll be talking about invasive species and topics like that.
\r\n\"So it literally ties directly into material we're doing and material we have talked about in class. But some of the tests that they were able to do are not tests that I can do in class with them.\"
\r\nProject Director Andrea Rocchio, senior educator for science at The Mariners' Museum and Park, and Sabrina Jones, senior director of advancement, explained the long-term benefits of introducing students and teachers to the park and museum so that they might return to explore all that the museum and park have to offer. The Mariners' Museum's B-WET program is designed to create environmental stewards and build a sense of belonging in the community for the students.
\r\nThis was illustrated as numerous educators explained steps to students and helped them prepare and work through the stations. Individual interactions, conversations and tips and tricks were sprinkled throughout.
\r\nWithin minutes of getting off the school bus, students were pulling on waders and putting eelgrass onto coconut fiber and a small metal stake. They headed down to the lake where two staffers in the water assisted each student in finding a smooth and suitable spot on the bottom of the shallow section of lake and planting their eelgrass.
\r\nBack on land, students next learned the intricacies of water quality testing in small groups with a worksheet to fill out.
\r\nUsing samples from Mariners' Lake, they were guided in conducting five tests and discussing what the results meant. Water was tested for pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity and salinity.
\r\n\"It's very difficult to do turbidity and the dissolved oxygen in class,\" Hamilton said. \"But they were able to go right, we talked about this. And hopefully, the next time they see it on a test they'll say right, I did that. I remember this because I did it.
\r\n\"Doing things hands-on stick into your memory better than just hearing it and writing it down and doing homework on it simply because it triggers in their mind. When you do something, it works better for memory.\"
\r\nAt the last station, students learned details about the submerged wreck of the Monitor battleship and how it forms an artificial reef to serve as a fish habitat off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. They used fishing poles to fish for a series of plastic fish labeled with details on specific fish species to learn about invasive varieties, all while avoiding the artifacts that are to be left alone when plying the waterways.
\r\nOne female student was continuously reeling in fish while a boy further down the line said: \"We're starving over here\" after they'd been reminded that this friendly competition could have been more dire if they were trying to fulfill their dietary needs.
\r\nExperiences like this one give teachers opportunities to do things with students that they wouldn't normally be able to do, according to Hamilton.
\r\n\"We're treating it almost as bio prep so that when they go to biology hopefully next year, they'll have seen this information before and they'll remember it a little better before they take the biology SOL,\" Hamilton said.
","body2":"","publish_date":"Apr 22, 2024","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"240423033511411_mariners1a.jpg","image_2_caption":"Photo credit: Kyra Duffley, The Mariners' Museum and Park","image_3_path":"240423033511411_mariners2a.jpg","image_3_caption":"Photo credit: Kyra Duffley, The Mariners' Museum and Park","image_4_path":"240423033511411_mariners3a.jpg","image_4_caption":"Photo credit: Kyra Duffley, The Mariners' Museum and Park","image_5_path":"","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/news/archive/2024-04-22_Partnership-continues-to-help-students-learn-science-at-The-Mariners--Museum-and-Park.html","news_id":"4075"},{"headline":"NNPS Secondary STAR awards honor students, organizations","blurb":"","description":"The Newport News Public Schools Youth Development Department held its annual STAR Awards recognition event for students and student organizations that exemplify the characteristics of student leadership and volunteerism.","body":"The Newport News Public Schools Youth Development Department held its annual recognition for students and student organizations that exemplify the characteristics of student leadership and volunteerism. The STAR - Students Taking Action and Responsibility - Awards are given each year.
\r\nDuring the Secondary STAR Awards Banquet on April 18, 120 middle and high school students representing 41 clubs and organizations were honored for their leadership and volunteerism.
\r\nTeniyah Corprew, a senior at Achievable Dream High School and the Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year for the Virginia Peninsula, served as mistress of ceremonies. School Board member Rebecca Aman gave opening remarks and provided the introduction.
\r\n\"Our honorees, representing various clubs, represents thousands of students in our schools who are sharpening their leadership skills and making a positive difference,\" Aman said. \"Thank you, our honorees, for your initiative, service and heart for others. Your character and dedication have certainly distinguished you and your club or organization as leaders.\"
\r\nAttendees included Delegate Shelly Simonds, Newport News City Council member Tina Vick, Acting Assistant City Manager David Freeman, School Board member Gary Hunter and Rob Coleman, Chief Operating Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula.
\r\nFeatured students who presented the awards were Marlie Kane, an eighth grader at Gildersleeve Middle School; Malechi Whitaker, an eighth grader at Passage Middle School; and Marlena Krizmencic, a junior at Warwick High School.
\r\nMusic was provided by the Menchville High School and Crittenden Middle School choirs.
\r\n\"Honorees, I do want to thank you for what you do; you truly do serve as role models,\" Superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell said in her closing remarks. \"It really is a pleasure to acknowledge all that you have each individually achieved and collectively achieved this year through your service to our schools and our community. You make every one of us in this room proud.\"
","body2":"","publish_date":"Apr 19, 2024","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"240419082127427_starmiddle.jpg","image_2_caption":"","image_3_path":"240419082127427_starhigh.jpg","image_3_caption":"","image_4_path":"240419082127427_Star.jpg","image_4_caption":"","image_5_path":"240419082127427_Star-2.jpg","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/news/archive/2024-04-19_NNPS-Secondary-STAR-awards-honor-students--organizations.html","news_id":"4074"},{"headline":"High School at NNPS","blurb":"","description":"High School at NNPS","body":"","body2":"","publish_date":"Jan 02, 2023","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"","image_2_caption":"","image_3_path":"","image_3_caption":"","image_4_path":"","image_4_caption":"","image_5_path":"","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/highschool/","news_id":"3963"},]);