Diane Raver
St. Louis School fifth-graders in Amy Bryan’s social studies classes have learned all there is to know about U.S. national parks.
Each student used the Internet to find information about a specific park and created a brochure, complete with facts and photos about it. For their diligent efforts, these youngsters have been named The Herald-Tribune’s Classroom of the Month for January.
They started their research at their park’s Web site and revealed some of the interesting information that was acquired: “There are over 2,000 natural sandstone arches” in Arches National Park, Utah. “There are many sights to see that I think are amazing. All of the arches are natural, and some even look like they would fall any second,” reports Josie Wesseler.
“Arcadia (in Maine) was the first national park established east of the Mississippi River. In it there is Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the East Coast,” notes Michael Deal.
“Biscayne is located in Florida and ... (it) also has a protection program for sea turtles to make sure the hatchlings are safe from predators,” comments Liam Mungcal.
“Mount Rainier (Washington) has 900 plant species, including 100 exotic plants .... (It) has hundreds of animals like the mule deer. Mount Rainier is a volcano in the Cascade Range. It has camping grounds, hotels and shops,” says John Harmeyer.
“My park (Carlsbad Caverns, near Roswell, N.M.) has the third longest limestone cave in the world and the longest in the United States,” announces Elizabeth Miller.
Channel Islands, off the coast of California, “are special because the Santa Miguel Island is the only place in the world to have four types of seals and sea lions,” reveals Curt Eckstein.
“You can only reach Glacier Bay (National Park, Alaska) by plane or boat. There are big glaciers and a huge variety of marine life. They have a big program that is trying to save the harbor seals,” remarks Sarah Poltrack.
“My park (Death Valley) is very hot, dry and low. It has many animals and plants .... has an area of 3 million acres,” observes Margaret Glaser.
The Badlands, South Dakota, “is one of the fastest eroding places in the world,” recalls Annie Freese.
The fifth-graders were also required to give oral presentations and bring in items representing information they learned: For Glacier Bay, Hannah Cox included a toy moose and coyote because they are common in the park, a scarf because it gets really cold, an umbrella to represent the 30 inches of precipitation each year and a snowflake because more than half of it is snow.
Mary Poltrack, who had Bryce Canyon, Utah, included a telescope “because of the astronomy programs and a stuffed chipmunk and flower to represent the plants and animals .... I brought a rock because of all the rocks and canyons and a water bottle for hiking and because it can get pretty hot.”
For Olympic National Park in northern Washington, Mia Hillenbrand says, “I made a papier-mache elk because the Roosevelt elk that are there are endangered. I brought a scarf because it gets pretty cold in the winter. I brought a measuring tape and showed how many inches of precipitation they get in a year. I brought in stuffing because it looks like snow, and I brought a teddy bear because Teddy Roosevelt made this park a national monument.”
Why should people visit these parks? “People should visit Yosemite (in California) because there are tons to do and watch. If you don’t want to spot animals, you could go ride your bike or do some other activity,” reports Mitch Esser.
“You should visit the (Channel Islands) park because whale watching is fun, and you would enjoy it. Hiking is another reason you should visit the park because you can enjoy seeing the landforms and the wildlife along your journey,” announces Alex Roell.
Nathan Batta encourages everyone to visit Redwood National Park, California, because “the redwoods are amazing .... 360 feet tall is about 60 grown men on top of each other.”
Marie Hoog likes Olympic National Park, Washington, because “it can help you get a better bond with Mother Nature.”
Annie Schoetmer says the Petrified Forest, Arizona, “is a wonderful park because there are so many activities to do like horseback riding.”
Students also agreed they gained a lot of information by doing the project: “I learned how it (Great Smoky Mountains) became a national park, who made it a national park, the animals and plants found there, the area, the landforms, the history .... and facts about it,” stresses Taylor Meyers.
Isabelle Tuveson, who researched Sequoia National Park, California, “learned that national parks are not only fun to visit, but you learn things about animals, plants, trees and ... some things will help you later on in life.”
Caleb Moster recalls, “I learned that making national parks is important to protecting all life. They help us study new species without being allowed to harm them. National parks could save our world. We must do our best to protect them.”
