Eighth Street Middle mixes science with Disney

TIFTON — A grant from Lowe's home improvement stores and a Disney corporation science project competition could put Tift County’s Eighth Street Middle School on the map and in the money.

ESMS Media Specialist Belinda Coleman secured the Lowe’s grant to create an outdoor classroom recently. At the same time, teacher Mary Nell Greer and two of her seventh grade science classes entered Disney's Planet Challenge, which is a project-based learning environmental competition for middle school classrooms across the United States. DPC teaches students about science and conservation while empowering them to make a positive impact on their communities and planet.

Coleman and Greer combined the outdoor classroom project with one of the Disney competition groups from ESMS called Team Native Planters. This group’s focus is on using Georgia Native plants in the outdoor setting. The team is constructing the outdoor classroom which includes building the planters, preparing the grounds, caring for the grounds, and planting trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants.

The team records the information and presents it biweekly via the school news and shares the results with other schools as well. They use plants that are native to the region to avoid overuse of water and chemicals. They share the benefits of native plants with parents, garden clubs and other students. All students at ESMS will benefit by using the outdoor classroom which will have seating for an entire class.

Students from teacher Greg Tucker’s seventh and eighth grade careers classes in addition to students from teacher Beth Golden’s seventh and eighth grade agriculture classes have assisted with the outdoor classroom.

Others at ESMS and within the community have helped with the outdoor classroom including ESMS teacher Heath Cross; scientist Amy Carter from the Coastal Plains Experiment Station with donations of top soil and plants; community volunteer Fred Chappell with help in hauling top soil; local agri-businessman Greg Rutland with donation of top soil; and Becky Esco of Lowe's.

The second group of Disney competitors, Team Water Warriors, is building a rain barrel to collect rainfall which will water the plants in the ESMS greenhouse. To get full use of the collected rain water, the school hopes to purchase pumps to then recycle the rainwater that will be delivered to the greenhouse plants. The rain barrel will be connected to the gutters of the school then run through pipes and tubes to the greenhouse. The plants will have a type of trough to collect and recycle the rain water that is delivered from the rain barrel.

The students plan to share the results, as well as many ways to conserve water, with parents, garden clubs and other students. Team Water Warriors members say, if they were to win the competition and earn prize money, they would extend the rain barrel systems to other locations in the area.

Disney's Planet Challenge projects must be submitted by February 15, and winners will be announced in March. Prizes range from a $1,000 state finalist award to the grand prize of a $6,000 National Science Teachers Association conference package for the winning teacher, a $10,000 grant for the winning school to continue the project, and an all-expense paid trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando for the class, teacher and principal from the winning school.

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