Q: What are the visions, missions and goals of Ichetucknee PARKnership program?

Trini: Our vision since 2003 has been that it is crucial for the Fort White High School/Middle School (FWHS/MS) students and their families to become environmentally wise citizens. Therefore, in 2003, the FWHS/MS Science Department formed a Parknership with Ichetucknee Springs State Park. The mission of this program has been and is to combine science/language arts/math curricula with hands-on, field-based investigations and service projects for our students with environmental service learning activities related to water, air and land quality.

The FWHS/MS Parknership Program’s goal is to provide our community with future citizens who are knowledgeable about the resources so important to our community’s future. The Parknership hones in on grades 6-8 and is reinforced in high school. The program is built upon the concept that learning in and out of the classroom goes hand-in-hand with serving the community.

Students in grades 6-8 are actively involved in a science curriculum that uses the “real world” for hands-on exploratory learning. Using the Ichetucknee Springs State Park as an outdoor classroom, students develop an understanding of the importance of the land, air and water that all organisms depend upon for life—all with the goal of instilling in our students their responsibility of protecting our resources.

Q: What age groups does the program serve?

Valerie: Students in the 5th through 12th grades, ages 10–18.

Q: Please describe the program. How is the program implemented? What kinds of activities do the students at the Fort White schools participate in? How do the activities differ for different age groups? What school subjects (English, math, etc.) are included in the program’s curriculum?

Valerie: The program is a hands-on environmental education series of outdoor labs that use the curriculum of the science studies of the grade participating. The labs include activities from earth, physical, biological, and environmental science. Some examples of the many labs conducted by the Fort White Schools include: Dendrochronology (examining tree rings); Water Quality Testing; Ecosystem Ingredients (comparing abiotic factors of ecosystems); Species Interdependence; Plant Reproduction Strategies; and Biodegradable Boats. Science is integral to all labs and math is used with data collection and comparison, graphing, and logging. English is used in worksheet answer composition and written reflections about subject matter learned in the labs. Students produce books, slideshows, dioramas, videos, and advocacy letters, to name a few. The labs are calibrated by grade for difficulty and by subject matter, as well as by level of independent work.

Q: When and how was the program created, and by whom? What was the inspiration?

Trini: The Fort White Parknership started as an idea in the mind of then principal, Keith Hatcher. When I was a newly hired science teacher and shared my hands-on learning experiences, he expressed his desire that the springs could be a part of the science program.

Once hired, I started networking with various organizations such as Save Our Suwannee, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) Office of Environmental Education, Florida’s Eden, the Three Rivers Trust, the Columbia County School District, and Ichetucknee Springs State Park (ISSP). When these organizations saw what we were trying to accomplish, they stepped up with resources and support.

In 2003, Fort White HS/MS entered into a formal partnership with ISSP and DEP’s LIFE (Learning in Florida’s Environment) program to develop and implement what we called the “Ichetucknee Classroom Model.” Interwoven within the curriculum are the themes that the human impacts on our environment are taking their tolls and that we can take actions to make a difference. Students, therefore, became involved in a variety of community service learning projects, as a result of our involvement with the federal and state Learn and Serve Grant Program. Examples include water lettuce and showy rattlebox (invasive plants) removal, gopher tortoise burrow mapping, recycling and native plant development.

Q: Did any institutional barriers need to be overcome in order for the program to succeed? If so, please describe how that happened.

Valerie: A barrier to lab participation is getting students to Ichetucknee Springs State Park. The barrier was removed when mitigation for the construction of the Suwannee American Cement plant and support from the Columbia County Schools Transportation Department helped to pay for busing Fort White students to and from the park.

Another barrier is the time needed at the park to perform the labs. At varying times during the years, block scheduling permitted classes to complete labs during one period. When scheduling changed from block to shorter class times, students would have to be excused from their following class in order to make labs work. Different scheduling options were tried in order to make it possible to do outdoor labs, and it took cooperation from administration and other teachers to accomplish.

A third barrier was finding qualified volunteers to assist with the program. We were able to utilize some park staff, some parents, and an excellent retired science teacher to help out with classes at the park.

Trini: It became evident early on that it was necessary for the classroom teachers to have additional support for the logistics of the program’s implementation. The creation of a Parknership Coordinator became an essential component of the program, which meant additional financial support was needed. Save Our Suwannee, Our Santa Fe River, the Ichetucknee Alliance, the Felburn Foundation, the Fort White School Improvement Program and others have provided this support over the years.

The fourth barrier is the institutionalizing of the program as an integral part of the Fort White Science Program when I am gone. That means that FWHS/MS Parknership’s Staff Director position becomes an officially sponsored component of the program. I have served in this position on a volunteer basis, but now it is evident that the Staff Directorship must become an annual stipend paid position. This position will require additional sponsorship funds.

Q: Please describe your current role in the program as well as any past roles. What is your official title?

Valerie: I have been the Parknership Coordinator since 2010. I work with teachers, county school bus managers and state park staff to schedule outdoor labs. I am responsible for assuring that all materials needed for labs are available and ready for activities, including ordering and purchasing. I assist in the field with the labs and coordinate volunteer support when needed. I work with teachers to develop new labs and their corresponding materials. I work to promote the program through press notices, newsletters and other media notifications.

Trini: As the Parknership Staff Director and FWMS science teacher, it is my responsibility to provide guidance and support among my fellow science staff, seek and acquire the necessary funding and recognition of efforts for the program and provide the assistance necessary for the day-to-day running of the program. I am responsible for providing our sponsors and grant benefactors with their required yearly progress reports to assure them that their sponsorships and grants are being effectively and correctly used.

Q: How many teachers are involved in this program, and at what levels (elementary, middle, and high school)?

Valerie: Elementary, 5. Middle, 6. High school, 2. The numbers change yearly based on staffing.

Q: How many students have participated in the program since it began? How many participate in any given year, on average?

Valerie: About 700 students participate in a given year. About 10,000 students have participated since the program began (I’m not counting students as new each year).

Q: How do you evaluate the success of the program? Have you made any changes over the years based on program evaluations?

Success:

Trini: The FW Parknership has been continually improved and expanded over the years to include effective field-based investigations and service learning activities that incorporate high-level thinking skills and STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) components within our local/school environments.

We have encouraged our students to find their advocate voices as they learn to use their knowledge to increase public awareness of springs protection and conservation practices. It has been essential that we provide critical 21st-century skills: innovation, cooperation, and communication.

Our evaluation on a year-to-year basis is based on our students’ scores on the statewide Florida FCAT Science test that all 8th-grade science students take. Since 2005, the FW 8th graders have seen continual gains in their scores, eventually surpassing local and state mean scale scores.

Changes

Valerie: As curriculum has changed, teachers have requested labs to follow standards more closely. It has been most satisfying to work with teachers to develop new labs that reflect the precise learning goals for the units being taught.

Q: What kind of feedback do you hear from students and graduates about the program?

Valerie: In nearly every class that goes out to the park, you get a group of students who are super motivated to be out there, who are eager to listen and then excited to show you what they have discovered or learned. I love it when they point out to me something I have shown them previously and identify it, or tell me what they remember about it.

Some of our students have gone on to volunteer at the park, either in the field or as docents in the Education Center at Ichetucknee Springs State Park. Some have gone on to study for careers in biology. It is so rewarding to hear from them occasionally.

Trini: I have always believed that if students see it and do it, they are more likely to remember it. This has proved true over and over again as I meet up with past students and the first thing they want to know is, “Are you still going out to the park? I sure loved the labs we did.” They then continue to explain how they are recycling at home, or they talk about their non-invasive landscaping, or they say, “I hope you will still be doing the program because you will have my child next year.”

Q: What kind of feedback do you hear from parents about the program?

Valerie: Many parents say what I myself feel about the Parknership Program: As students, they had perhaps one field trip a year, while our students get to go out 4-6 times a year. The parents are envious that their kids get this great experience that they did not get to have! They love that their students are being exposed to this great hands-on nature based learning. They always want to know if the program is still active so their younger children will get to experience it.

Trini: At the beginning of every new school year, I see a parade of past students whose children are entering 6th grade who say the same thing: “My child is here because of your science program. I want my child to have the same experiences.”

Q: Are there community partners and/or school board partners who support the program? If so, who are they and what is the nature of that support?

Valerie:

Financial: The Ichetucknee Partnership (TIP); the Felburn Foundation; Our Santa Fe River; the Ichetucknee Alliance; Suwannee American Cement; Save Our Suwannee; Fort White High/Middle School Advisory Council; Friends of Ichetucknee Springs State Park.

Education for students: Our Santa Fe River; Ichetucknee Springs State Park; Suwannee American Cement; Florida’s Eden; IFAS Columbia County Extension Office; City of Lake City Wastewater Treatment Plant; Florida Gateway College; The Ichetucknee Partnership (TIP); Sunrise Wildlife Rehabilitation Inc.; Water Ventures; High Springs Historical Museum.

Materials/Equipment: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Education Program; Fort White Public Library; Wal-Mart Corp.; Publix; The Gopher Tortoise Council; Four Rivers Audubon; Sparkleberry Native Plant Society; Suwannee River Water Management District; Florida’s Eden.

Probably many more that I can’t think of right now!

Trini: From my standpoint, the FW staff and the Columbia County School Board and Administration have provided their encouragement and support throughout the years. They have seen the progress and realize the benefits for our students.

Q: What do you think are the most important things students learn about the Ichetucknee from this program?

Valerie: Where water comes from (not from the tap!). Water is a finite resource. It matters what an individual does; that can affect the quality of our water.

Trini: I think this type of program gives students a sense of responsibility. They learn that everything they do in nature has an impact on nature.

Q: What else do students learn that’s important?

Valerie: We have to respect the environment, because it provides many services for us. Nature is beautiful; you don’t need to be scared of it. Everything in the environment is connected; you can’t pull one string without affecting something else.

Trini: I doubt there is a student that has gone through our program who does not know that Alligator Lake is the headwater of the Ichetucknee and that pollutants end up in our rivers. They know our aquifer is filled with what we do on the earth’s surface. Our students gain an appreciation for the springs and learn the best practices for preserving the integrity of the springs and rivers in their community.

Q: Do you think environmental education programs like this could be replicated throughout Florida? If so, what do you think is the best way for that to happen or for that idea to spread?

Valerie: The main thing needed for environmental education programs to be established is a truly passionate person who won’t give up. Teachers are so pressed to do so many different things that it’s hard to ask them to start up and maintain one more thing, even a great thing, because it isn’t easy. We are lucky to have Trini Johannesen in our community, because she is the “energizer bunny” who just keeps going and has kept our program alive and thriving for 16 years!

Trini: Thanks, Val! She is correct though. It takes educators who believe in environmental education and who believe in the hands-on approach of how students learn. But it takes more than that.

When we started back in 2003, there was support from the state and federal government in environmental education. The Learn and Serve Program on the state and federal levels, including the DEP’s Office of Environmental Education, have gone by the wayside. This lack of foresight and support then impacts the university higher education programs and the trickle-down effect takes its toll.

Can our program become a model? You bet! When the LIFE (Learning in Florida’s Environment) program was supported by DEP’s Office of Environmental Education, it was believed that science-based environmental education on public conservation lands was essential. The goal was to improve student achievement and teacher professional development in science education. At that time, it was believed that a partnership between the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the school districts to bring students outdoors to learn science was the key. The program offered a process for reinforcing and enriching the existing curriculum through hands-on field labs facilitated by educators, scientists, and land/resource managers. At one time, there were 23 LIFE sites in Florida. Now there is only a handful left. Why? The programs lacked the capabilities of becoming institutionalized within the science programs. Without someone like me who was willing to put the energy and time into the program for resources and support from the community at large, the programs faded away.

Until true environmental education gets back on the right track from those in decision-making positions, it will be more difficult to see programs like the Parknership start up and flourish.

Q: What has been the most rewarding/most inspiring thing for you personally during your participation in this program?

Valerie: I am a “bird nerd” and the thing I have loved the best is nurturing a few students in the interest of birding. I still have students long graduated who call and ask about a bird ID or to tell me about a rare spotting. Love it!

Trini: I retired from the Michigan schools and came to Florida to live. I wasn’t expecting to begin a new teaching career here in Florida. But when I saw the potential of making a difference in teaching in Florida and when I met people like Keith Hatcher, Loye Barnard (Save Our Suwannee), Greg Ira (DEP), Jim Stevenson, and Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, to name a few, I knew I had found my niche.

I always said that if the day came that I wasn’t enjoying what I did in my job, I would be gone and on to my next adventure. Well, I’m here at Fort White High School 20 years later, still enjoying every day out in nature with my students. This is the good life, for sure!

Q: Please add anything else you would like for people to know about the PARKnership program. Thank you!

Valerie: I believe the Fort White High/Middle School Parknership is the oldest and most robust environmental education program in the state of Florida. I also truly believe that we give every graduate of our school a solid foundation about our local natural resources and their importance.

Trini: I pray I leave behind a legacy for the future students who pass through Fort White High School and that our model is again used by districts across this state.