On the outskirts of the Charles River School campus in Dover lies a piece of land owned by the school that is often overlooked. To the untrained eye, the land appears to be an overgrown plot with some soggy soil, but if given the chance to explore, you will see much more. The land is designated as “wetlands” by the town of Dover. While this would preclude Charles River School from ever building on the land, it does not mean the school cannot use it for educational purposes.
Last May, the town of Dover Conservation Committee gave its approval for Charles River School to create a nature trail in the wetlands. The nature trail will allow all CRS students the opportunity for hands-on learning in an outdoor setting. It will be, in essence, their living classroom.
In anticipation of the wetlands nature trail, science teacher Pam Moor proactively was able to have Charles River School registered as a partner in the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program. GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school based science and education program. GLOBE’s vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth in study and research about the dynamics of Earth’s environment.
At CRS, grades 3-8 will take full advantage of the GLOBE program. For instance, students in Grade 7 and 8 will gather soil and weather data. They will analyze the soil by performing transects; test for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium; and will classify the CRS wetland as vernal pool with government agencies.
Phase 1 of the construction of the Nature Trail is scheduled to begin this fall. Charles River School is working closely with land surveyors and civil engineers to ensure all proper steps are being taken to preserve the natural habitat on the property.