Heritage Conservancy has begun a partnership with Quakertown Community School District (QCSD) to build outdoor activities and teacher training for environmental science education that will serve about 400 high school freshmen and benefit the whole district.
“I am excited to work with the district to put plans in place that can benefit not just this year’s students but future classes as well,” says Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller, Director of Education and Community Programs at Heritage Conservancy. “I am working with a dedicated team in the school district to set up programs that can continue for years to come.”
The project includes staff education, seed money for an outdoor classroom, and the development of fieldwork that will get students outdoors for hands-on learning. Classroom opportunities are being engineered in a way that will allow teachers to continue these lessons in future years. “The goal is to set them up for success and a continuation of programs even after our grant funding and hands-on involvement end.”
The project is funded for a year by a PA Environmental Education Grant administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.
Shannon is working closely with QCSD’s new STEM Director to design activities to enhance a year-long environmental science class that all 9th graders in the district take. Shannon and her team are building out activities that connect students to their local environment, with a focus on experiences that connect them to the natural resources on their school grounds and help them to identify environmental issues in their own community.
Using existing school resources to support environmental education with the students will allow for greater access to these outdoor learning opportunities for all students in the district.
Professional development plans stand to have exponential impact, as teachers throughout the district will learn about environmental literacy and Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEE). They can use these lesson ideas, frameworks, and activities in their classrooms for years to come.
Shannon, along with Heritage Conservancy Education Programs Associate Beth Clark, our part-time educators, and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, will run two professional development days for instructors and district staff that are responsive to QCSD’s specific needs to support their environmental literacy curriculum integration.
Shannon and her team will work with the district on their new curriculum that focuses very directly on nearby nature areas, local watershed issues, and natural resources in the community.
Funds from the grant will also provide seed money for an outdoor classroom. Heritage Conservancy’s outdoor classroom in Croydon Woods (photographed above) is heavily used by the adjacent Keystone Elementary School and is a valued local fixture appreciated by its teachers and the larger community.
“Our hope is to secure funding and a site within the Quakertown Community School District to build a similar project that would facilitate outdoor gatherings and lessons, connecting students directly with nature in their neighborhood,” says Shannon.
The collaboration with Quakertown Community School District is part of our larger plans to support the growth of environmental education opportunities across Bucks County and help to build a healthier and more sustainable environment with our school districts as critical partners.
This program is funded by Pennsylvania’s Environmental Education Grants Program, administered through DEP (Department of Environmental Protect). The program provides funds to support a wide range of environmental education projects including meaningful, hands-on programs for students, teacher training workshops, and community conservation projects for adults.
