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Fostering Tomorrow's Environmental Leaders at Thetford Academy

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Fostering Tomorrow's Environmental Leaders at Thetford Academy Fostering Tomorrow’s Environmental Leaders at Thetford Academy: Recommendations for Engaging Students in Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies Environmental Studies 50 Dartmouth College, Spring 2015 Advisors Nicholas Reo Karen Bieluch Contributors Autumn Brunelle Ryan Bullock Emily Cambern Katherine Crane Alison Dyer Charles Grant Patrick Hand Douglas Hoch Elizabeth Johansen Christopher Kipouras Kendall Kraus Alison Lanois Catherine Ledna Stuart Maeder Morgan Matthews Jake Neumann Akiko Okuda Amelia Ritger Annelise Sauter Ortiz Garret Schmidt Mark Sheridan James Sternlicht Timothy Swensen Carrie Wolf Leehi Yona 1 Acknowledgments Chris Schmidt John Connolly Bob Walker Erin Sterner Troy McBride Kevin Jones Linda Magoon Bill Bugg Craig Layne Melissa Thaxton Gary Engler Karyn Neubauer Casey Huling Claudette Peck Anne Kapuscinski Alexander Stiek KC Wright Jonathan Chipman Kim Wind 2 Executive Summary How can Thetford Academy become a local leader in environmental education? Throughout this collaborative project with Thetford Academy, Dartmouth students have addressed five central themes that foster a culture of sustainability and environmental leadership around place-based learning and engagement. These themes are: outdoor education, Ompompanoosuc River curriculum, trails, food sustainability, and solar power. The outdoor education group’s central contribution was a method for cultural change through outdoor classroom activities and a proposed outdoor extracurricular program. Expanding on curricular adaptations, the Ompompanoosuc River group provides recommendations for an integrated environmental studies curriculum for 11th and 12th grade students. The trails group investigated the forest surrounding TA, identifying potential educational sites and a proposed trail that utilizes property near the Ompompanoosuc River and owned by Thetford Academy. The food sustainability group focused on awareness about healthy and sustainable eating habits through a proposed expansion of the TA greenhouse and an Annual Food Day. Finally, the solar group developed a business plan detailing the options for solar energy at TA, which has potential economic, educational, and environmental benefits. In summation, these recommendations should be considered key leverage points for developing a culture of outdoor education and environmental awareness at TA. 3 4 Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 3 Chapter 1: Introduction to Sustainability Recommendation for Thetford Academy ... 7 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: Food Sustainability ...................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Introduction: Food Systems and Sustainability .......................................................................... 12 2.2 Aquaculture ............................................................................................................................................. 13 2.3 Aquaponics .............................................................................................................................................. 14 2.4 Curricular Implementation of Aquaponics ................................................................................... 17 2.5 Aquaponics Implementation ............................................................................................................. 22 2.6 Sustainable Eating at Thetford .......................................................................................................... 26 2.7 Nutrient Guidelines for Food Day at TA 2016 .............................................................................. 29 2.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 33 Chapter 3: Developing an ENVS Curriculum Focused on the Ompompanoosuc River at TA ............................................................................................................................................................ 34 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 35 3.2 Methods of Research ............................................................................................................................ 35 3.3 Environmental Science Course Integration .................................................................................. 37 3.4 Potential Study Focus Areas ............................................................................................................... 39 3.5 Logistics .................................................................................................................................................... 45 3.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 47 Chapter 4: Outdoor Education at Thetford Academy ............................................................. 48 4.1 Preface ....................................................................................................................................................... 49 4.2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 49 4.3 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................ 51 4.4 Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 55 4.5 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................ 69 4.6 Future Directions ................................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 5: Business Plan for Solar Project at TA .................................................................... 79 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 80 5.2 Methods ..................................................................................................................................................... 81 5.3 Ownership Options and Financial Outlook ................................................................................... 82 5.4 Funding Options ..................................................................................................................................... 88 5.5 Thetford Elementary School Case Study ........................................................................................ 91 5.6 Preview of Potential Regulatory Issues ......................................................................................... 92 5.7 Educational Opportunities ................................................................................................................. 94 5.8 Assessing Possible Developers ......................................................................................................... 95 5.9 Discussion and Next Steps .................................................................................................................. 97 Chapter 6: Trail Design and Collective Cartography .............................................................. 99 5 6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 100 6.2 Content of Existing Trails .................................................................................................................. 102 6.3 Case Study: Cross-Rivendell Trails Project ................................................................................. 105 6.4 Collaboration with Outdoor Education and Water Subgroups ............................................ 107 6.5 Design & Construction Timeline and Guidelines ...................................................................... 109 6.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 112 Chapter 7: Summary of Recommendations ............................................................................ 113 References ......................................................................................................................................... 116 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ 125 Appendix A. Research Instrument - Student Survey ....................................................................... 125 Appendix B. Research Instrument - Case Study Surveys ............................................................... 128 Appendix C. Deliverables - Lesson Plans/Activities ........................................................................ 129 Appendix D. Extracurricular Club Model ...........................................................................................
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