Written by the 7th Grade Team
On Thursday, October 8th and Friday, October 9th the 7th-grade class attended field trips at two locations. Half of the students went to the NYS Museum on Thursday and the other half went to the Huyck Preserve. On Friday, students switched locations.
Students are currently reading the novel Ground Zero by Alan Gratz in ELA classes. This is a dual storyline novel and one storyline is set in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. While visiting the New York State Museum, students took a guided tour of the September 11th exhibit, helping students visualize many of the book’s important details. Students learned about how the museum selected and collected the artifacts from the Fresh Kills Landfill before studying the artifacts to gain a better understanding of their role in the historical event. Students were able to study a fire truck that was partially crushed under a fallen pedestrian bridge and partially burned from the fire. They were also able to compare steel beams from the bottom of the tower to the ones bent from the jet fuel-fueled fire closer to the impact zone. The program ended with students examining pews from St. Paul’s Church, which serves as a memorial to the countless first responders who used the church as a place of respite in the months after the attacks.
In addition to the 9/11 program, Ms. Fabian walked the student groups through the museum’s First Peoples exhibit. The life-sized exhibits at the museum helped students visualize what life looked like in this area for thousands of years prior to European contact. Ms. Fabian had students identify evidence of how indigenous people adapted to and used their environment over time. This aligns with the current Social Studies unit on Native Americans. Furthermore, recognizing the influence of the environment on humans is an enduring issue that students will revisit throughout the year.
The visit at the Huyck Preserve started in the Eldridge Research Center with a presentation from Anne Rhoads, Ph.D., the Huyck Preserve Executive Director. Dr. Rhoads provided an introduction to the history of the Huyck Preserve lands, an explanation of the importance of the forest ecosystem, and a discussion of factors that could affect the health of a forest ecosystem. Students were taught how to collect data on the health of a forest, including mapping out a 10x10 meter plot. Students then went into an area that was a Red Pines Plantation and collected data. Returning to the Research Center, students calculated average values for their data.
The students analyzed their data- which indicated that the forest area studied was in good health. The students’ data will be used by the Preserve’s Board of Directors as they make decisions about future forest management in the Preserve. The field trip ended with a guided hike.
Thanks to Dr. Anne Rhoads, Kate Martin (Membership & Outreach Coordinator) and Ben Prigg (Stewardship Coordinator).
Thanks to our volunteer family chaperones- Logan Ambrosio, Amanda Borwegen, Stephanie Dick, Deb Diehl, Felicia Donley, Ashley Duncan, Amy Georgia, Lauren Hoffman, Jennifer Jones, Amanda Kistinger-Garry, Erin Pruiksma, Karalyn Smith, Carol VanAuken and Jamie Winans.
Thanks to Tracy Churchill, Food Services Manager, and the Middle School teaching staff for their assistance and flexibility. Thanks to the transportation department and the administration for making these trips possible.
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For more information about the New York State Museum, please visit http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/
The Huyck Preserve offers summer programs where middle school and high school students can experience the natural world through observation, exploration, and research. Scholarships are available. For more information about the Huyck Preserve, membership, beach passes and its summer programs, please visit https://www.huyckpreserve.org/