Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 31, 2007 16:09:03 GMT -5
Students connect with nature
By CUTTER MITCHELL
jmitchell@citizen.com
GARY WHITEWOLF, right, talks with 2nd grade teacher Lynn Clark about the looming storm during Gilford Elementary School's World Environment Day celebration which took place indoors. Whitewolf had just finished giving students an inside look at Native American culture.
(Cutter Mitchell/Citizen Photo)
Environmental culture - Order a print of this photo
GILFORD - Students at Gilford Elementary School took some time on Tuesday to appreciate the environment and make a connection with nature as part of a schoolwide World Environment Day celebration.
"Its important that these students understand their environment and start to learn how to take care of it; otherwise, the world will be very different than it is today," said event organizer and second-grade teacher Lynn Clark.
To give students a better understanding of the natural world and the things in it, Clark, along with the rest of the faculty and staff, brought a natural geologist to describe various gems and minerals.
Also on hand was American Indian storyteller and dancer Gary Whitewolf.
Whitewolf, dressed in a full American Indian tribal outfit, gave the students a sense of American Indian culture, teaching them everything from storytelling to a tribal rain dance.
"It's just showing them a culture that is still very much alive, especially with such a connection to the natural world, which is something I think a lot of young people are missing in this culture," Clark said.
Whitewolf said all the students seemed enthusiastic, particularly when it came to understanding the spirits of their favorite animals and plants.
Clark, Whitewolf, and the other volunteers were not the only ones teaching environmental understanding. Last week Gilford High School students from Fine Arts teacher Marcia Haughey's sculpture class brought some of their works to give their elementary school counterparts a brief lesson on the endangered species depicted by their sculptures.
The World Environmental Day celebration, Clark explained, came about as a result of the school's Green Panda Club which, among other things, focuses on recycling.
To round out the day, students formed a large circle to learn some native chants. With thunderstorms rolling in, Clark said they would be conducting that event from the shelter of the school gym.
"I think we are going to talk to the thunderbolts and ask them to go around," said Whitewolf with a smile.
Events of this kind have been taking place during the last eight years, with the addition a few new events planned for 2008. Clark said the school will be looking to partner with the artist-in-residence program, through the help of a grant.
For more information about the Green Panda group and the ongoing environmental efforts at Gilford Elementary School, visit www.ges.gilford.k12.nh.us.
By CUTTER MITCHELL
jmitchell@citizen.com
GARY WHITEWOLF, right, talks with 2nd grade teacher Lynn Clark about the looming storm during Gilford Elementary School's World Environment Day celebration which took place indoors. Whitewolf had just finished giving students an inside look at Native American culture.
(Cutter Mitchell/Citizen Photo)
Environmental culture - Order a print of this photo
GILFORD - Students at Gilford Elementary School took some time on Tuesday to appreciate the environment and make a connection with nature as part of a schoolwide World Environment Day celebration.
"Its important that these students understand their environment and start to learn how to take care of it; otherwise, the world will be very different than it is today," said event organizer and second-grade teacher Lynn Clark.
To give students a better understanding of the natural world and the things in it, Clark, along with the rest of the faculty and staff, brought a natural geologist to describe various gems and minerals.
Also on hand was American Indian storyteller and dancer Gary Whitewolf.
Whitewolf, dressed in a full American Indian tribal outfit, gave the students a sense of American Indian culture, teaching them everything from storytelling to a tribal rain dance.
"It's just showing them a culture that is still very much alive, especially with such a connection to the natural world, which is something I think a lot of young people are missing in this culture," Clark said.
Whitewolf said all the students seemed enthusiastic, particularly when it came to understanding the spirits of their favorite animals and plants.
Clark, Whitewolf, and the other volunteers were not the only ones teaching environmental understanding. Last week Gilford High School students from Fine Arts teacher Marcia Haughey's sculpture class brought some of their works to give their elementary school counterparts a brief lesson on the endangered species depicted by their sculptures.
The World Environmental Day celebration, Clark explained, came about as a result of the school's Green Panda Club which, among other things, focuses on recycling.
To round out the day, students formed a large circle to learn some native chants. With thunderstorms rolling in, Clark said they would be conducting that event from the shelter of the school gym.
"I think we are going to talk to the thunderbolts and ask them to go around," said Whitewolf with a smile.
Events of this kind have been taking place during the last eight years, with the addition a few new events planned for 2008. Clark said the school will be looking to partner with the artist-in-residence program, through the help of a grant.
For more information about the Green Panda group and the ongoing environmental efforts at Gilford Elementary School, visit www.ges.gilford.k12.nh.us.