Education >> Service Learning >> Maxwelton Outdoor Classroom

The South Whidbey School District is a nationally recognized leader in its commitment to service-learning through its Learning & Community Engagement Center and Learn & Serve grants. With their encouragement, Whidbey Watershed Stewards is pleased to offer teachers and students many opportunities for service-learning.

The partnership between students and WWS provides a learning situation in which service is transformed into meaningful lifelong lessons, while helping our organization meet its goals of "Watershed stewardship, habitat restoration, environmental education-youth to adult."

Completed projects in 2004-05 include:

• A Middle School science class helped refurbish the self-guided nature trail at the Outdoor Classroom as part of their watershed studies.
  
• AmeriCorps workers and a high school Transitions class for at-risk youth did several projects at the Outdoor Classroom while learning about salmon and the environment, and developed lessons to teach to primary students.
  
• A second Transitions class added safety features to the creekside teaching platform as they developed an appreciation for watersheds.
  
• A seventh grade Adventure Education class learned to be watershed stewards as they reclaimed the trail system behind the Intermediate School.
  
• Middle School students learned about the importance of native plants while helping plant trees at a restoration project site.

In 2006, we are working with students from Edmonds Community College to do habitat assessments on Quade Creek pre- and post-restoration, as part of a project for National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Read more.

Service-learning activities can be used to fulfill community service hours, as group-building learning experiences, and as culminating projects now required for high school graduation. Whidbey Watershed Stewards is eager to co-create any opportunity for service-learning that teachers and/or students might present.