Red Bank Elementary students visit Mountain Creek, which abuts the school’s property, for real-life lessons about the environment and how they can impact it. (Contributed photos)Red Bank Elementary School is partnering with environmental organizations in the community in an effort to clean up Mountain Creek, which was once so unhealthy that it was nearly uninhabitable by wildlife.
Working with organizations that offer programs educating students on their relationship with nature and how they can lead the next generation in preserving the environment, the school’s “Stream Team” set out to change this – and change it they have.
Students on the “Stream Team” watch area professionals study the land, create strategies and execute real-world skills right in their backyard. Mountain Creek is literally adjoined to the property, so all it takes for a hands-on lesson is a short walk to the project site.
By studying the stream, students get an up-close look at how the environment reacts to human involvement and how animals modify their behavior based on the health of their surroundings.
“My favorite thing is seeing them get excited about finding a critter,” said fifth-grade science and social studies teacher Margaret Hall. “I also love watching them make connections when I ask them to look for evidence of flooding. They see the muddy bunches of leaves on the bank and begin to understand.”