Unity College Students Volunteer at Walker Elementary School and Mt. View Middle School

Unity, Maine – March, 2010 –  Unity College students are spending the spring 2010 semester working closely with teachers and students at both Mt. View Middle School in Thorndike and Walker Elementary School in Liberty, Maine.  The Unity students are volunteering as part of a college class called The Environmental Citizen.

     “This class stresses the importance of volunteerism to achieve important, long-term positive environmental outcomes,” said Angela Hardy, who is teaching the Unity College course.  She Co-Director of Teacher Education / Director of the Center for Experiential and Environmental Education at Unity College.

     Unity students will pursue two projects, developing curriculum for growing greens at Walker Elementary School and teaching Mt. View students how to make maple syrup.

     The specifics of the semester long project have Unity students working with teachers and students at Mt. View to incorporate agriculture in the classroom.  Agriculture in the Classroom is a national program that incorporates aspects of farming into day-to-day, hands-on lessons taught to middle school students.  The program coincides with the No Child Left Inside Act of 2009 which amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to encourage states to include environmental education into their curriculum.

     Lessons developed by Unity College students will be implemented at the Walker School greenhouse during the fall 2010.  Parent volunteers will also be involved in teaching the agriculture lessons developed by the Unity students.

     Students at the Walker School will grow several types of green vegetables and learn about soil composition and seed development.

     “By giving children the opportunity to grow their own food, they gain an appreciation for agriculture,” noted Hardy. 

     A portion of the greens grown at the Walker School will be donated to a local food pantry.

     Unity students from Hardy’s class are also pursuing a second agricultural project during spring semester.  They are teaching Mt. View students to harvest tree sap then boil it down to maple syrup, working with the owners of Kinney farm in Thorndike.  The Kinney farm will be hosting a field trip for the school students. It features 7,781 trees suitable to tap on 150 acres.

     “The tapping of trees and making of maple syrup is an authentic learning opportunity and component of the Student Learning Goals set by the Maine School Administration,” explained Hardy.  “The educational program being designed by Unity College students will hopefully set a permanent base for future agriculture in the classroom studies.”

     Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.