In sixth grade, Nooksack Valley Middle Schoolers join a snow school at the Mount Baker Ski Area. It’s there they not only get out of the classroom to explore new terrain but start the scientific journey of learning about Nooksack Valley’s watershed. By the time those same students are in eighth grade, they are enjoying sail boats in Bellingham Bay, having followed the watershed from snow to sea.
The watershed journey offers a scientific connection for middle schoolers, but thanks to new grant funding and partnerships with a variety of local organizations, Nooksack Valley students in kindergarten through eighth grade will all experience a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) out-of-school experience.
“We really want our students to have experiences beyond the classroom walls that allow them to explore different science opportunities and careers that might be something they have interest in when they get older and something they can learn more about,” says Megan Vigre, Nooksack Valley Schools teaching and learning director.
The Seed to STEM grant opens the opportunity for those experiences. Currently, Nooksack Valley staff is working with community groups to coordinate both the field events and the curriculum, partnered with the likes of Wild Whatcom, Garden of the Salish Sea, Whatcom Family Farmers, the Nooksack Salmon Association, the Nooksack Tribe, Vamos, the Whatcom Conservation District, Whatcom Community Foundation and Common Threads to build grade-level-specific opportunities interconnected with in-school learning.
Joyce Perkins has served as the district’s liaison, coordinating and planning with the community partners. A lead teacher for each of the grade levels is collaborating with a community partner that applied to work with the district. The curriculum will include pre- and post-event lessons to bring the field experience into the classroom “so that it is tied into what we are learning and there is a clear connection between the experience and what they do in the classroom.”
While the middle school program has already started, the K-5 component is brand-new this year. The first field experience will be for third graders, happening in October. Many of the other grades will have their experience in the spring, based on the timing of the community partner.
“There is alignment between the field trips, so kids are seeing the connections and getting to explore different fields and careers all the way,” Vigre says.
By expanding to the three elementary schools, Vigre says it creates a comprehensive program of transformative outdoor experiences from day one, where careers get illuminated by teachers, outdoor educators and scientists in a variety of STEM fields.
The program also ensures equitable supports to benefit traditionally underserved students. The Seed to STEM project is funded 100% by the Career Connect Washington Program Builder Round 11: Career Prep program. A total amount of $168,404 was financed with federal funds.
Field trips already planned include trips to Birch Bay to learn about life in the Salish Sea, the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds for education about farming, local elementary school gardens for the kindergarten students to learn about the food they can grow and eat and Silver Lake, not to mention the already planned—and successful—Snow to Sea adventures.
"The Snow to Sea program has allowed middle school students to implement the Next Generation Science Standards in a practical and hands-on way,” says Fiona Piasecki, eighth grade science and social studies teacher at NVMS. “From snow science at Mount Baker, shellfish and chicken farms in the valley, and water quality testing in the bay, they learn about local STEM career opportunities as they explore our local watershed. Localizing their learning has increased their understanding of how their actions impact the space around them, how our community uses the resources available to us, and what science looks like in the real-world."
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