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Award ceremonies don't always include those who make the honor possible.
Such
was the case earlier this month when members of the West Valley Outdoor Learning
Center staff appeared at the Washington State Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development conference to receive recognition for their efforts.
Even
though the center's owls, hawks, trout and other species didn't appear at the
Spokane Convention Center to take part in the acceptance speech, they could almost
be heard clapping their wings and fins from their home in Millwood about 20 minutes
away.
The center - part of West Valley School District's academic landscape
since 2001 - was presented with the state team award for Contributing to a Significant
and Positive Impact on Student Learning at the gathering on Nov. 3.
Over
the years, the 3-acre venue has hosted a variety of classes and events including
a well-attended community celebration called Birdfest this spring. In a format
that typifies the center's approach, Birdfest provided an interactive setting
in which visitors could learn about winged creatures and their habitats.
"The
more you can teach kids about what's living there, the more they'll want to save
it," said Jami Ostby Marsh, an environmental educator who has worked at the
center since it opened five years ago.
The center's recent collaboration
with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Inland Northwest
Wildlife Council, focused on the local mule deer habitat and taught students the
importance of such animals to the environment.
Another project involved
working with the Audobon Society to build a number of nesting boxes to preserve
the area's barn owl population.
Ryan Van Tine has worked at the outdoor
center since October as a member of Americorps, a work study organization. With
a degree in environmental studies and elementary education from Western Washington
University, the setting in West Valley has been ideal for Van Tine, who teaches
a science curriculum and contributes to a traveling program about raptors.
"It's
been awesome," Van Tine said.
Students who visit the center are
greeted by replica tracks of raccoons, moose, great blue heron and other animals.
Throughout the classroom, a porcupine, skunk and a pair of owls scamper about
in containers. Outside, in two ponds, students learn about the ecosystem of trout.
"It's an exciting way for the kids to learn," said Ostby
Marsh.
While the majority of students who utilize the center are from
the West Valley District, the grounds also host kids from throughout the county.
Typically, a class will arrive and learn about a topic such as geology that they
have been studying in their own school.
Field trips to places like the
Dishman Hills Natural Area to study grasslands and forestry and Wolf Lodge Bay
to focus on lessons about eagles and salmon add to the center's overall agenda.
"We do most of our stuff in our own community," Ostby Marsh
said. "It's not the desert in the Sahara. It teaches kids to appreciate what's
around them."
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By
Craig Howard
