LEARN & SERVE
Learn and Serve America is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. America’s young people – from kindergartners to college students – have the desire, energy and ability to make a real difference in their communities. Service-learning offers a unique opportunity for them to get involved in a tangible way by integrating community service projects with classroom learning.
Wetlands Estonoa is the perfect classroom for service-learning. Team Estonoa is extensively involved with service-learning literally from the ground up. From grounds maintenance and landscaping to building construction and project planning, from proposals to presentations and tours, these take-charge students do it all. Take a moment to browse through the team's accomplishments, on-going projects and future plans.
For more about Learn and Serve America, visit their website at www.learnandserve.gov.
GLOBE
GLOBE (Global Learning through Observations to Benefit the Environment) is an organization dedicated to collecting environmental data. This arm of NASA consists of over 20,000 sites worldwide and St. Paul High School has been a participant since March 2001. To date, Team Estonoa and St. Paul High School students have logged over 11,000 data points.
WATeR
To expand our GLOBE project, Team Estonoa and St. Paul High School students initiated the WATeR (Waters of the Appalachia Tested and Reviewed) Project. Through the WATeR Project, Team Estonoa and St. Paul High School partners with seven other area schools in Dickenson, Wise, Russell and Scott counties, the University’s College at Wise, the Black Diamond Resource Conservation, and Jon Rockett from the Powell River Project.
GREEN ROOF
Green roofs provide important environmental and human health benefits including lowering energy expenditures, purifying the air, and reducing storm-water runoff.
RAIN GARDEN
Rain Gardens are “Bio-retention Basins,” a type of storm water management practice that reduces runoff, increases infiltration, and improves water quality. Rain Gardens are garden beds in shallow basins that treat storm water by capturing the first 0.5 inch to inch and filtering it through the various bed components before releasing it into the subsoil. Read more>
RECYCLING
Starting on a hot day in August 2008, St. Paul High School became a little greener! Faculty, staff and students initiated a school-wide recycling program.
RAIN BARREL WORKSHOPS
Rain barrels collect and store rainwater from rooftops. The water collected can be used for watering plants or washing cars. Without a rain barrel, rainwater runs through a downspout, onto a lawn and sometimes onto a paved surface that eventually goes into a storm drain. Partnering with the Together Green Conservation Leadership Institute, a program of the Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District, Team Estonoa regularly hosts make-and-take rain barrel workshops. Read more>
MUSSEL NURSERY
Wetlands Estonoa Learning Center and Team Estonoa received a five thousand dollar grant from Dominion Resources to establish an endangered mussel nursery on the Clinch River.
INTERPRETIVE SIGNS
From student to casual hiker, there is something to learn at Wetlands Estonoa. Strategically placed interpretive signs point out many of the outdoor classroom's highlights. All of the signage at Wetlands Estonoa was designed and installed by the team members/students to be used as yet another learning tool for all who visit. Team Estonoa would like to recognize the EPA for the grant which enabled Team Estonoa to purchase these beautiful, informative, interpretive signs.
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
The Wetlands Estonoa website is a student/mentor collaboration but ultimately Team Estonoa's responsibility for all design, content, editing and upkeep. The team is serious about sharing their Wetlands Estonoa projects and experiences in a variety of media; from Powerpoint presentations, to brochures and newsletters, to the website. In addition to the conservation and science-related education, we are learning marketing, sales, and other presentation techniques to further expand on the commitment to change our world.