Classroom Earth Success Stories

Jeff Rennicke, an English teacher at Conserve School in Land O’ Lakes, Wis., wants his students to understand and experience the connection between language and landscape. Prior to becoming a teacher, he was a full-time freelance writer for 22 years, writing 10 books and contributing to more than 300 magazine articles in publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker and other adventure and travel magazines.

Rennicke emphasizes that nature isn’t limited to national parks and weekend getaways. It is everywhere, all the time. Likewise, the incorporation of English and the environment isn’t limited to certain books or authors.

Andy Milbauer and his Environmental Science students have set up a deer exclusion project to gain a better understanding of the impact of deer on the health of the Conserve School campus forest.

The deer exclusion project is based on a design from the Smithsonian Institute. In the Smithsonian project they constructed a multi-variable study to explore the effects of invasive species and deer browsing on forest regeneration out east. At Conserve School, in northern Wisconsin, they replicated the study with a slight modification to explore the effects of deer browsing and thinning of pioneer tree species to explore forest regeneration.

After teaching my applied ecology students about forestry management methods we toured several regions of our campus. At each place we discussed logging history and indicators of the forest health. To test them on the material the students had to identify which of the forests most needed management. They then had to devise a management plan.

How to integrate environmental education with photography and technology

Scott Olson, a 12-year teacher in the Tonasket School District in Tonasket, Wash., developed a photo point monitoring project for his high school students after being inspired by a wildlife manager from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Photo point monitoring is a tool used to quickly and effectively document changes in vegetation, soil and other landscape features by periodically photographing the landscape. The wildlife manager, who regularly visited Olson’s classroom, came upon historic photographs of local landscapes and suggested Olson use the photographs to conduct photo point monitoring.

Olson ran with it and soon had his students engaged in an exciting learning experience that allowed them to incorporate numerous subject areas and learn in an outdoor setting.

How to reduce your carbon footprint and save your school $11,000

Doreen Petri teaches AP Environmental Science and Anatomy and Physiology at the Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy in Erie, Pa. Petri has translated classroom content into action through an energy initiative at her school.

The initiative helps students understand the connection between their energy use and climate change and allows them to take a lead role taking actions that save the school energy and money on the electric bill.