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Serving Historic Sites and the Environment: Adopt a Wetland
Created by Chris Davies, St. Mary's County Public Schools
Subject Area: Civics
Grade Level: 9
The service learning program at Great Mill High School combines student
knowledge of citizenship with active involvement in the community.
Students work to gain an understanding of community on many levels, from
school to the global community. Using a process of identifying the needs
of their community, students work with community leaders and organizations
to create a community based service project.
For the past 2 years (1994-1995) students have created on ongoing
community partnership with Historic St. Mary's City (HSMC). HSMC is a
living museum in southern Maryland that works to preserve Maryland's first
colonial settlement. HSMC combines historical preservation and
reenactment with environmental education. The museum has over 200 acres
along the shore of the St. Mary's River. HSMC provides both the local
community and all visitors with a historical look back at the first
Marylanders and the native American settlements that preceded colonial
settlement.
Students have worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to "Adopt a Wetland" at HSMC. The area
known as Key Swamp is a vital tributary to the St. Mary's River in
Southern Maryland. Students work with the educational director and the
historical horticulturist at HSMC to improve and maintain the
environmental balance of the Key Swamp. The project also strives to
promote plants and animals in the area that existed at the time of the
first settlers. Removal and documentation of introduced invasive plants
(such as Japanese honeysuckle and kudzu vine), strive to create a living
exhibit of the plants used by the original native populations and
settlers.
Through grants by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation this project and
community partnership between great Mills High School and Historic St.
Mary's City, will continue into the 1995-96 school year and beyond.
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