This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Minuteman High School Receives MA Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Award

By Judy Bass

A “Coast Sweep” project done by students in the Environmental Science & Technology Program at Minuteman High School in Lexington has received one of the 20th Annual Secretary’s Awards for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The honor was announced recently by Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan at a ceremony at the State House in Boston.

Find out what's happening in Lexingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Minuteman was among 27 recipients of these awards, which went to 22 schools and five non-profits.

“We are proud to recognize the students, teachers and nonprofits raising awareness about energy and environmental issues affecting Massachusetts and the planet,” said Secretary Sullivan in a press release. “The ideas, research and knowledge being recognized today show the forward thinking of our youth and how ready they are for the challenges ahead.”

Find out what's happening in Lexingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The monetary award that accompanies this honor will be used for the Environmental Technology Program at Minuteman, according to Environmental Technology Instructor Terry Regan.

In his nomination essay about this project, Regan cited co-teacher Anthony Wilbur for coordinating the project and outlined its objectives and the educational benefits to the community and the participating students: “Each spring, the 20-30 seniors and sophomores in Mr. Wilbur’s Environmental Science & Technology Program at Minuteman High School participate in a ‘Coast Sweep’ project, where students scour a selected beach and pick up the all the trash they find along the wrack line. This project is just one of the many community-based projects conducted annually by students in Minuteman’s Environmental Science & Technology Program, including conducting an Environmental Site Assessment on land being donated to the Sudbury Valley Trustees, monitoring water quality in tributaries to the Cambridge Reservoir and coastal waters off Salem Sound, and measuring beach erosion at the Cape Cod National Seashore and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

This Coast Sweep project is conducted as a true service-learning project, where the community and the students are equal beneficiaries. Last year, the students conducted a Coast Sweep at Long Beach (Nahant), Coast Guard Beach (Eastham), and Wollaston Beach (Boston). The students work in teams to collect as much trash as they can within a certain area and within a certain time. Each team is armed with large trash bags, gloves, and a clipboard and data sheet to tally up the types of trash collected (e.g. cigarette butts, plastic bags) for later data analysis. Nearly 2,000 pieces of trash were removed from public beaches during the 2013 school year. In addition to removing the debris from beaches, the debris is separated into recyclable and non-recyclable – resulting in proper disposal and recycling of debris. The senior class is currently scheduled to conduct another Coast Sweep for May 2014 on Long Beach in Nahant.

Academically, the students learn valuable lessons including how to collect and analyze data, generate statistics, create graphs, and present findings to their peers and teachers in a scientific symposium type of setting. But this project also has many valuable attributes that extend beyond the classroom, making it a true service-learning experience.

They learn personal and civic responsibility, the effects of improper solid waste disposal on the earth’s oceans and waterways, and the global consequences of careless local actions. At the conclusion, students are asked to reflect on the project, and are often surprised by how much trash and the types of trash that are collected. The lessons culminates with readings, podcasts or videos, and a discussion on related global issues such as the world’s largest unlicensed landfill in the mid-Pacific gyre known as ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ which is currently the size of Texas. This simple exercise brings meaning to the ‘think globally, act locally’ environmental movement.

Minuteman High School in Lexington provides its students with a superb academic and technical education that prepares them for professional success and gives them the ability to become contributing members of the community.  In addition, Minuteman has numerous services available for the public at reasonable cost and of outstanding quality. For more information, please visit minuteman.org.

 


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Lexington