Student Joins Whale Research Team Through Earthwatch Institute
Arman Carter, a rising junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will join an Earthwatch Institute expedition this summer to study food availability and feeding behavior of grey whales off the coast of British Columbia in Canada.
The Earthwatch Institute research project, now more than a decade old, is building a geographical predator-prey model on grey whales and their ecosystem, which describes their habitat, the whales’ use of it, and the distribution and abundance of prey. One goal of the project is to use this research to help create a conservation plan to protect grey whales, who have experienced sharp population crashes in certain summer feeding areas.
Carter is considering a career in science and sees the Earthwatch expedition as an opportunity to understand what field research work is like. He views habitat protection and sustainable practices as they relate to energy and other natural resources as possibly the greatest challenge of his generation.
Congressional Campers Star in Movie Making
Rising fourth to sixth graders can participate in Session 5 at the Congressional Camp (3229 Sleepy Hollow Rd., Falls Church) during August 4 to August 15. Promising an adventure each day, Congressional Camp welcomes students to join the upcoming full-day specialty camp, “Movie Making.” Aspiring actors and movie makers will learn the fundamentals of movie making, lighting, blocking and script writing. Campers will work their peers to make their very own movie, which they will take home on DVD.
FCPS Principals Venture to Chesapeake Bay
Four Fairfax County Public Schools principals participated in a retreat for principals on Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay from July 23 through July 25, to learn about the natural and social forces affecting the island. One goal of the retreat was to provide participants with information about the bay and its watershed that they can share with their students. Selected principals were Mahri Aste of Mosby Woods Elementary School, Debbie Lane of Rolling Valley Elementary School, Sal Rivera of Flint Hill Elementary School and Dwayne Young of Centreville Elementary School.
The three-day retreat brought principals from the metropolitan Washington area together to investigate the Chesapeake Bay and watershed environment, to develop a meaningful watershed educational experience for students and to identify educational opportunities offered by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Principals participated in journaling exercises, created art projects related to life on the bay, traveled the marsh by canoe, viewed a boat scraping by watermen and visited the Reedville Fisherman’s Museum. The principals took part in an assignment called Last Child in the Woods, designed to get students to participate in outdoor activities.