Written by: Thankful Davis, art teacher

Bright Schools' special area team is great at connecting students with unique learning opportunities. This September, Randi Schlosser and Richard Parks kicked off our first-ever mid-year water field study opportunity. Mr. Parks began the boat program 4 years ago with 5th-grade students in 2022. He started with a small pilot group and built the first boat, the “ladybug”; since then, students have crafted 8 vessels over the life of the program. His goal is to help students work together to build woodworking, advanced math, and design skills through the boat-building process.

Over the past four years, our program has grown and now serves all fifth-grade students and is integrated into math classes, with Wendy Rogers teaching key foundational skills in the classroom. Last Friday, students used boats built by Bright alums to navigate the Dallas Bay Watershed and conduct water quality testing. This citizen science inquiry gives students a chance to explore our local ecosystem and understand this delicate environment within our community.

The collaboration between scientific study and woodworking skills is an excellent example of the Shop and Science partnership and how working together fosters interdisciplinary connections that benefit students. These connections merge creativity, craftsmanship, environmental science, and teamwork in ways that push students beyond the four walls of a classroom and help them grow into community advocates. The connections span not only disciplines but also alum contributions from those who carefully crafted these water-worthy vessels, which students will use to navigate the Dallas Bay watershed. That stewardship gives students a sense of responsibility and continuity, inviting them to recognize that their ideas, choices, and care for these water-worthy vessels can have a lasting impact on the future Bright School community.

Teachers also wanted the opportunity to inspire student voice. Mrs. Schlosser and Mr. Parks invited students to apply to attend the field study. As part of the application process, students were asked to journal about watershed conservation, describing their views on conservation, working together, and what clean water means to them. By asking students to articulate what they want to learn and contribute, Parks and Schlosser empower them to become members of a learning community rather than simply visitors on a field study.

This collaborative teaching opportunity is community engagement at its finest. Two teachers are applying their expertise and passions to design a learning opportunity that is exciting,

meaningful, and connected to their greater community. Students will paddle, observe, test, and problem-solve as a team while exploring the local ecosystem. They will understand that caring for our waterways is an important part of being a citizen of this community, and it starts with noticing, collaborating, and believing that you can make a difference.

Mr. Parks and Mrs. Schlosser are true examples of teacher partners who keep learning fun and engaging while using real-world knowledge to expose students to community problems they can positively impact.