Student Contributor -A. Madden
In partnership with the Lands Council and the Eastern Washington University’s Department of Education, our group of 7th grade students from Cheney Middle School had the opportunity to contribute our time and service to the restoration of Marshall Creek. Our contribution consisted of planting trees near the shoreline of the creek to help prevent erosion and pollution. Over the course of the two work days, our groups were able to plant 887 native trees and shrubs on the wetlands.
Our group was taken out to some private property along Marshall Creek. When we arrived, the leader of the project, Kat, educated us on how the trees we were planting today would eventually grow to filter out pollutants, reduce soil erosion and prevent heavy flows in the spring. After we had all been shown how to properly dig a hole and plant a tree, we broke off into our small groups of about 14-15 students, led by one pre-service teacher. Each group was sent to a different area of the wetlands and had a specific type of tree to plant in a specific area near the shoreline of the creek. After experiencing the project first hand, it became clear to the students that our work was crucial to the sustainability of our local wild life and environment. They worked very hard and took such pride in the positive impact they were having on our community.
The project went really well in my opinion! The only recommendation I would have is to have volunteers available. I know that finding volunteers for an all-day field trip isn’t always possible with work schedules, but it would help a lot with the management aspect of the project. Having 15 students to one volunteer was sort of difficult to manage at times, because we were in such a an open and uncontrolled environment. If the circumstances were the same for a student trying the same project in the future, I would advise them to do their best to learn the names of the students in their group as soon as possible. By knowing the names of your students, you not only make a better connection with them, but they tend to respond better to your authority in general. Lastly, don’t forget to HAVE FUN with them! They’re goofy middle schoolers and you’ll enjoy the day so much more if you let loose a little and get to know them and their quirky ways. Be the adult first, but still remember to be their friend.
