450 high school students will roll up their sleeves for a morning of community service work at ten parks in Ann Arbor, next Wednesday, October 6th. The entire student body of Community High School will visit parks around town to help pull up invasive plants and maintain park trails. The service day is a great example of community-based education that teaches kids about their local environment and encourages environmental stewardship. The Center for 21st Century Communities (21c3) champions education and green initiatives (two of 21c3’s “eight assets”), and Community High’s project covers both of these “assets” in one fell swoop.
This is also a great example of what can be accomplished when students and educators collaborate with the city and the greater community. Natural Area Preservation, a division of Ann Arbor's Department of Parks and Recreation is collaborating with Community High to facilitate the day of environmental stewardship.
The idea originally came from Community High’s forum council - the school’s equivalent to student council, according to math teacher Marci Tuzinsky, who is helping to coordinate the project. Last Spring, half of the student body visited local parks to pull up invasive garlic mustard plants, while the other half did outdoor community service projects at elementary schools. This Fall, some students will pull invasive species and others will help maintain trails and lay down wood chips.
Jennifer Eberbach is a professional journalist and writer. Find contact information on her website www.jenthewriter.info.
Community High School in Ann Arbor.
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