CCSD#2 students get their hands dirty learning about climate factors

The Teton Science Schools (TSS) brought their Summer Science School to Carbon County School District No.2 (CCSD#2) last week.

The five-day program was focused on weather and climate, and it took the children to several places in the Platte River Valley. Working with a host of local experts, teachers from Saratoga Elementary School, Storer Scholars from the University of Wyoming (UW), and TSS faculty-led studies that included:

• Local community dynamics

• Measuring weather events

• The concept of climate and how it affects human and natural communities

• Pine beetle effects, pika habitat, and glaciers in the Snowy Range

• Macroinvertebrate and fish health in local streams, ponds and rivers

• Use of compasses, wind gauges, and water testing equipment

• Geology, archaeology, and history

Kate Bodey is part of the faculty at the Teacher Learning Center at Teton Science Schools in Jackson. Bodey said the Summer Science School is part of a collaboration with CCSD#2 has been going on for four years, and they hope to continue it in the future.

Teachers Annette Kelley and LeAnn Uhling of Saratoga Elementary along with Principal Dave Rangitsch worked in concert with the TSS staff and UW pre-teachers to bring the kindergarten through sixth grade students a full week of place-based education.

Place-based education is one form of experiential learning where the curriculum is focused on the students local community and environment. The concept is meant to engage students at younger ages and develop a thirst for learning that can be expanded over the years.

Rangitsch said "It is exciting to get (the students) out and about, looking at being a good citizen and getting out where we live instead of playing the Nintendo. Beinga good steward of the land … Not only are the kids finding the petrified wood they are picking up cans and throwing them away as we go.” Rangitsch added, “We’re seeing how … learning can be fun; other than just the book type of learning. Life-long learning. Real-life learning.”

As part of the week-long program Carbon County elementary age students visited Saratoga Lake and Mirror Lake to investigate climate and aquatic species issues. At the Brush Creek Visitor’s Information Center and the Saratoga Mill students discussed the effects of pine beetles. At locations on Cedar Creek Ranch and the Encampment River fishing and water quality studies were conducted. At a private ranch and the Saratoga Museum the children learned about history, archaeology, and geology.

The information gathered and conclusions to the studies were presented to parents and faculty on Friday afternoon. Around 100 people also participated in a family cookout at Saratoga Lake and Mark Jones played guitar and sang for the crowd.

As often happens with short term scientific studies many of the results were inconclusive, but it appears that Cedar Creek may be a healthier environment for fish and macroinvertabrates than the Encampment River. The younger students, dressed in their best pirate bandanas, also showed that the perfect place for a pirate fort on Veteran’s Island is on the west side near a stand of willows.