S. Kingstown Schools Community Learning Program

BIO FACTS for Young Naturalists

2010-02-18T19:00:00.008-05:00

Every Monday, 1,500 elementary students link their minds to the world and to career and service opportunities that may well fuel long-term interests. On one recent chilly Monday during S.K.’s Community Learning Program, the natural world of Aquidneck Island was delivered to students through scientific findings on how animals survive and thrive.

“Since I can’t bring our sanctuary to you,” begins Yvette Haughney, AmeriCorps member and naturalist for a well-known preserve and vibrant environmental education center, “I’ve brought some BIO FACTS instead.”

“When we hike at Norman Bird Sanctuary, we look at rocks to discover geological facts about Rhode Island and world history. We investigate insects and fish to find out about the health of our water. From treetops to groundwater, we learn from our findings. Plant, animal and mineral BIO FACTS tell us a lot about survival.

“So you think snakes are slimy and have bones?” asked Yvette. A snake exoskeleton reveals, on the contrary, that “snake skin, like that of all reptiles, is dry, scaly and sheds. Do you think snakes can eat something as big as a mouse? Well, snakes have a special jaw that can swallow something three times their size!” (Just go ahead and try holding your hands behind your back while swallowing a basketball!)

A non-native loggerhead sea turtle skull with big eye sockets revealed another animal adaptation: living in salty water, the loggerhead has evolved a special gland under its eyes to expel extra salt from inside its body. The smooth and flat juvenile green sea turtle shell helps it move protectively. Unlike RI’s snapping turtles, grooved of shell and lazy in motion, this turtle lies flat to flee swiftly from its predators.

“Our next friend gets scared around loud noises. He may have no backbone, but he’s no coward! With eight legs and eight eyes, Ocho the Mexican red knee tarantula was named “eight” in Spanish. You won’t find him in RI; his natural habitat is deserts and rainforests, but Ocho was someone’s “cool” pet before his care became too much. BIO FACTS: he flicks hair from his body when angry to make other animals sneeze. And he sheds his exoskeleton when it gets too tight, emerging with bright, orange-red ‘knees’ on his jointless legs to attract mates.

The next creature’s reaction when frightened can be pretty gross. Micah the barred owl, with dark striping through his feathers, flies faster by releasing droppings to lighten his load. “Micah might have hit a car; the blow to his head was so traumatic that he was taken to a vet, probably no longer able to survive in the wild.” He now tends to pull out his own feathers, making it hard to fly. Owls naturally lose feathers: growing baby owls shed soft down, and adults grow a showy spring coat during mating season. The barred owl often can be heard calling in the wild—“Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?...”

Micah feeds on store-bought frozen mice. Enrapt, students learned that the bones, fur and other remains from a good dinner are ground up and rolled into pellets in his gizzards before being upchucked. “Owl pellets are great to study, but they’re not clean—hands off if you find one!” So the next time you scare an owl and it poops, or a tarantula sticks you with hair, or a snake swallows a mouse 3x its size, you’ll know these are survival mechanisms. What BIO FACTS in your world would show an alien how you survive? How do YOU protect yourself, eat and attract new friends?

A big thank you to CLP for bringing the Norman Bird Sanctuary to S.K.’s elementary schools. Perhaps sharing the skills of the naturalist with budding scientists will help them learn about how humans survive in this ever-changing world.

Science of Ears: How to Fix Them When They Break

2010-01-26T06:26:00.015-05:00

S.K. elementary students find out how their ears work!

Eileen Jones, President & Founder of the Gift of Hearing Foundation, visited S.K.'s elementary schools to talk about some devices that have been developed to help people when they go deaf. Sometimes these devices are implanted right into our bodies to help us operate our different parts — turning humans into “cyborgs”!!! The specialized skills needed to support such innovative devices, however, are in short supply. There is a certain future for those who would like to research and engineer miracle technologies to improve what we have — and to think up and make new devices.
Hearing is our connection to people (where sight is our connection to things). Hearing and speech go together: hearing loss = speech loss. For more information, please visit the Gift of Hearing Foundation website.

Scientists to the Rescue!

2009-12-27T07:27:00.009-05:00

Marine Biologist and Research Ecologist in Action
S.K. schools hear from Biomes Marine Biology Center and the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve

By Rebecca J. Briggs, CLP Reporter

What do marine biologist Mark Hall and environmental scientist Jennifer West have in common? For starters, they both recently presented to S.K. elementary schools’ Community Learning Program. They also share an appreciation and fascination for wildlife that began in grade school, and led them both to study science URI. They now are both research scientists, committed to educating others on their discoveries.

“When I was young, I was very interested in the animals I saw in the wild—how they lived, how they protected themselves, how they found their food.” So began Mark Hall of Biomes, southern New England's only private aquarium and education center in North Kingstown and online at http://www.biomescenter.com/. “I discovered early on that by keenly observing animals in their habitats, I could learn how they survived, and that by staying in school, I could develop the skills I needed to go on to college, and become a scientist.”

Mark held up a fist-sized butterfly fish, a ‘tropical stray’ that he found while scuba diving off Block Island. He queried his 1st through 5th grade audience, “Why do you think there is a black stripe across the fish’s head? Why is it so skinny? Why is its head so pointy?” Pausing to allow students time to observe, he continued, “The answers to these questions are clues to how the fish protects itself and gets its food.”

“Do you think this fish is native to RI waters? How do you think it got here—do you think it can survive in Narragansett Bay?” An astute fifth-grader answered, “I think the fish would die because it gets too cold in the winter here.” Indeed, it would: this stray was just the size of a quarter when it was carried to the North Atlantic on a strong tropical current, “just like a stray dog a long way from home.”

“It is skinny,” Mark explained, “so that it can squeeze into rock cracks where other fish don’t go. And it’s striped in order to confuse predators as to where its eyeball is.” Ah… discovery—boy, observing wildlife is cool!

Mark emphasized that his knowledge of marine biology has given him a greater understanding of land animals as well, (and this explained his next specimen, an abandoned boa constrictor!).

So, too, did Jen West’s graduate work in environmental education lead to her knowledge of wildlife. Narragansett Bay’s estuaries—where rivers meet the sea—have become her “living laboratory.” There she studies and counts fish, monitors how salt marshes filter pollutants, and researches human effects on natural ecosystems.

Estuaries are critical to tens of thousands of wildlife habitats. Their bordering wetlands are key to water quality, flood protection and water storage. Estuaries also have enormous recreational, educational, aesthetic, and commercial value.

“When we build a lot, ecological cycles change. For example, increased human population leads to more invasive plants, and fewer natural wildfires. Fires help native plants like the pitch pine to spread their seeds; instead, invasive plants compete with the natives that are the natural habitat for resident animal and fish species.” Moreover, when we build, “water can’t filter through the pavement or the rooftops, and toxic run-off enters the watershed and pollutes estuaries.” This is the basis for the stormwater projects that Jen coordinates as the Coastal Training Coordinator for the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Science has vast reaches and interconnections. As Mark and Jennifer agreed, “You can do a lot of good for society and nature when working in the field of science.” Jen invited students to practice being scientists at the Prudence Island research reserve out in the middle of Narragansett Bay. To schedule school trips year-round and find lesson plans and other resources, visit http://www.nbnerr.org/.

As the CLP program continues on into the winter, a big thank you goes to former Matunuck parent, Rian Smith, for organizing the biweekly Monday presentations. Rian works diligently with Matunuck Principal Deb Zepp…

Mrs. Zepp also should be congratulated for her calm and courage, as she steadily held ‘Reggie,’ Biomes’ boa constrictor, in front of Matunuck’s 300 wildly cheering students. All were relieved to hear Mark’s reply to fourth-grader Anthony Maine: “Has Reggie the Boa ever tried to constrict you?” “No. Boas are very, very strong, but the only reason they constrict is to hold on to something like a tree in the rainforest.” With that, Principal Zepp gracefully transferred Reggie from her shoulders back to Biomes’ chief scientist. Whew! Keep up the good work, CLP!

Reggie the Boa & the Principal

2009-12-04T17:29:00.002-05:00

Wildlife Biology—A Career for Nature-Loving Kids

2009-11-19T22:23:00.016-05:00

Did you know… that kids are linking the skills they practice in school today to the abilities they’ll need to master tomorrow? Opportunities to witness the beauty of the natural world—and express compassion for its fragility—help sustain their interest in the biological and earth sciences.
South Kingstown’s 1st through 5th graders spent one recent ‘CLP Monday’ exploring the vital role of the wildlife biologist. The district’s Community Learning Program featured Janis Nepshinsky of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who underscored the most important aspect of her job: preventing the extinction of Rhode Island’s wildlife.

Janis took the students on a visual tour of Rhode Island’s National Wildlife Refuges. Images of Block Island beaches, Charlestown’s Ninigret Park, Sachuest Point, and the John H. Chafee Nature Preserve at Pettaquamscutt Cove looked familiar to many. Janis listened to students call out their favorite local wildlife, from snapping turtles and trout to the newly reclaimed piping plover. “Every animal you named needs a place to live, food to eat, and a place to play, just like you do,” Janis pointed out. She drew their attention to the fact that Rhode Island has FIVE of the United States’ 545 National Wildlife Refuges.

“Part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist’s job is to protect the homes of animals, “habitats,” from harm caused by invasive plants, people and their pets,” Janis explained. No dogs, horses or motor vehicles are allowed on a National Wildlife Refuge; nor hunting, fishing and wild harvesting. The plants and prey are there for the animals that live there,” Janis added, reminding students that many species of birds need RI’s coastline for nesting grounds and food. “Birds fly south, migrating from Maine to Florida, and these wildlife refuges act as ‘rest stops’ for refueling, just like your families need on long trips.”

When Janis showed a two-foot long, preserved snapping turtle with its brilliant shiny shell, the 300+ students were in awe. When she told of poachers suffocating the turtles for their shells, they were stunned. Seeing the water-loving turtle on his back was saddening—and further convinced them that protecting wildlife is a worthwhile career.

What kind of skills do you need to be a wildlife biologist? First-grader Julianne H.and third-grader Katarina K. learned firsthand, as they held up samples of wild animal tracks, skins and other intriguing ‘tools of the trade.’ A biologist must be able to identify what kind of wildlife is spending time on the refuges. The upper jaw of a deer and the lower jaw of a coyote prompted careful observation and thoughtful answers as to what these animals eat. A snapping turtle’s creepy looking track print was a surprise, as guesses of “raccoon” and “bear claw” were proved wrong. A playlist of cool birdsongs on a waterproof iPod turned into an remarkably accurate game of matching birds to their calls. It seems that a wildlife biologist must pay attention, observe keenly, and be able to recall, measure, count, and reason.

Keep up the good work, CLP!

Fall CLP presentations also feature Mark Hall of Biomes Marine Biology Center, Claire Hall of the “Did You Know?” Foundation, and Jennifer West of the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve. All four South Kingstown elementary schools participate in this academically enriching and community-bridging program.

Take a walk on the wild side!
Can you name the National Wildlife Refuge in either photo? If you can, and you’re an S.K. elementary school student, call CLP reporter Rebecca Briggs, (401) 533–0116.

By Rebecca J. Briggs, CLP Reporter, with Rian Smith, CLP Program Manager

The Charlestown Press, Nov. 19, 2009 (Page A-7)

The Narragansett Times, Nov. 11, 2009 (Page 6-B)

S.K. Schools's CLP: Enriches, Educates and Inspires!

2009-11-08T17:25:00.023-05:00

Did you know… that although #5 plastic yogurt cups do not get recycled in RI, you easily can avoid sending them straight to the landfill?

“Reuse it!” answered first-grader Aislinn M. when put to the question by Claire Hall of the "Did You Know?" Foundation. Second-grader Jake B. was quick to point out that even though some plastics like #1s are recyclable, their caps are NOT. By golly, I think they’ve got it!

Indeed, kids today are becoming more mindful consumers. South Kingstown children are also on their way to becoming more conscientious practitioners, with problem solving careers on their horizon.

S.K. schools’ district-wide CLP engages students in learning about the diversity of people, the wonders of place, and environmental stewardship—and in learning to make a difference within their larger community. This year brings a new focus on science and career awareness. Says CLP program director and Matunuck principal, Deb Zepp, “We want students to see their schoolwork as part of the journey to exciting careers. And we want them to connect science to the real world and real people.”

Imagination and problem-solving skills have been pinpointed as the tools for success today. For children who like to explore, fix things, be creative, or investigate the natural world, many vital and stimulating careers in science, engineering and technology await.

CLP’s slate of innovative presentations opened with Biomes Marine Biology Center, the “Did You Know?” Foundation, Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this year. Community role models and student volunteers illustrate how passion for community can be fulfilled by a career in the sciences, improving both day-to-day life and the world beyond. “It’s fun and interesting,” observed fifth-grader Dave B. after learning from Claire how to use plastic CD holders as photo frames. “There’s always something new to learn.”

The number of S.K. students taking advantage of—or initiating—opportunities to pursue environmental interests is growing. CLP has helped sprout school recycling clubs; a district-wide, weeklong effort to reduce waste at snack time; an ‘eco-concert’ to raise funds for an environmental cause; and hands-on, after-school environmental enrichment programs that enable 5th and 6th grade students to take their awareness and career interests to the next level.

Did you know that it takes role models today to motivate and educate the movers and shakers of tomorrow? Keep up the good work, CLP!

Elementary Ecology: The Benefits of Aquaculture

2009-03-22T13:49:00.028-04:00

Dr. Robert Rheault has a shellfish farm called Moonstone Oysters near Point Judith. Also president of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association and secretary of the Ocean State Aquaculture Association, he is committed to promoting public education about aquaculture.

His enthusiasm captivated South Kingstown's 1st through 5th graders last fall. One would never have guessed that this young audience, unlike his customary graduate students and members of Congress, had drawn beads of sweat across Bob’s brow during his many hours of preparation.

Shellfish live in most of the world's seas and some of its lakes and freshwater rivers. Starting as microscopic specks of dust, one million baby oysters can fit in your hands like grains of sand. Their shells are so transparent you can see their hearts beating.

Some farms grow shellfish in floating upwellers, where plastic mesh cages, bags or baskets let water through while keeping algae out and protecting babies from predators. These are hung, shaken and flipped in the sun to clean the water-blocking algae and sea squirts. This farm gear creates tremendous marine habitats and improves species diversity, serving as artificial reefs where juvenile fish and crustaceans can live, find food and refuge, and breed.

With no books to consult, protecting baby shellfish from predators is a challenge. Blue crabs, for one, just won’t let go and can consume 200 baby clams an hour. Once the size of a quarter, shellfish can resist crabs and starfish, and settle down to grow in sand or on rocks.

Shellfish improve water quality as they feed by filtering microscopic plants from water. One oyster can clear over 15 gallons a day—a small farm, 30 to 100 million gallons. They also remove nitrogen, lower bacterial counts, improve water clarity, and diminish algal blooms. And they filter silt from the water—better light penetration helps oxygenate deeper water and can improve eelgrass survival.

Clean water is critical to marine life, especially when grown for food. Anything thrown down street or indoor drains, especially poisons or chemicals, and excess lawn fertilizer, pet waste, and trash on beaches can damage marine life.

Illustrations and quotes are student reflections when asked, "How does aquaculture help oceans, and what can you do to help keep marine habitats clean?"

“My Place” launched S.K. Schools’ Community Learning Project with local heritage, natural history, and natural resources. “My People” is addressing basic needs and diversity, and in the spring, “My Environment” will focus on natural processes and local flora and fauna.

By Rian Smith

Students Connect with Neighboring Farmers

2009-02-27T19:57:00.034-05:00

Rhode Island’s Farm to School Project shared the benefits of buying RI grown with S.K. elementary students. Kimberly Sporkmann, project coordinator, first explained why children might care about keeping local agriculture going, citing history, economics, environment, and nutrition. Different farmers took the stage next at each school: Chris Faella, Faella Farm, Peace Dale; Sarah Partyka, Farmer’s Daughter, South Kingstown; Pete Rundlett, Moonstone Farms, Charlestown; or Jeff McGuire, South County Apiaries, Wakefield. To conclude: a locally grown apple for each child.

When the climate warmed 5,000 years ago, RI’s first people changed from nomadic hunter-gathering to village-based agriculture. By the mid-18th century, RI had developed an agricultural tradition, with livestock, flax, apples, and onions widely grown and traded. Today, RI’s 700 farms cover 10% of the state.

Agriculture plays an important role in RI’s economy, especially greenhouse and nursery products as well as milk, potatoes and fish. The fertility of land on Narragansett Bay means Washington County has the state’s largest agricultural sales. With a climate mild enough for farming almost year round, residents take advantage of buying locally grown foods, supporting RI farmers—their neighbors—in the process. Farms preserve the environment—and can make communities better places to live. Buying local preempts the need for shipping and packaging, and thus helps reduce pollution. And the health benefits of fresh nutritious foods, especially on school lunch trays, are invaluable, and those responsible, commendable.

Without bees, there would be no plants and no food. Beekeeper Jeff McGuire introduced bees as the only animal that makes food for humans. A student volunteer donned a white bee suit, with vest and jacket while Jeff shared tips for avoiding.

Honeybees, non-natives to the U.S., were brought by pilgrims to pollinate crops and other plants. Beekeepers still pollinate—without bees, grocery shelves would have many fewer fruits and vegetables, and many flowers would not set seed. But bees are disappearing. Jeff suggested students ask their parents to use less insecticide and fertilizer. And to leave dandelions—one of the first spring flowers, full of pollen and nectar—at the edges of their lawns, or to plant wildflowers. One bee creates only 1/8 of a teaspoon of honey; it takes many bees and 50,000 flowers to make one pound of honey.

A teeming hive stacked with honeycombs enlivened Jeff‘s presentation. Excitement rippled when one escaped, and noses sniffed the circulating honeycombs.

When asked to consider, “What can we do as a community to help bees thrive? And to help farmers continue to farm?” students responded:

Do not step on a bee! — M. Robinson, Gr. 2 (Tyrrell)

We can stop people from stepping and poisoning bee hives, because they do not know about it. We can not step on fruit and vegetables if you see them. — S. Hutchins, Gr. 2 (Tyrrell)

Did you know that if you don’t like tomatoes and you like pizza, you’re eating tomatoes? We can help farmers by not throwing away food if we don’t want it. We are lucky that bees pollinate so we can have food. — A. Wilkinson, Gr. 3 (Heid)
What we can do as a community is to not pick dandelions. — C. DelMastro, Gr. 3 (Heid)

If I saw a bee, I would not swing my hands all over the place. I would not even try to get some honey from its hive. — C. Farias, Gr. 3 (Fogarty)

Don’t squish/step on bees — don’t pick too many wild flowers — don’t disturb a beehive — BE NICE TO BEES! — J. Lindstrom, Gr. 3 (Fogarty)
Bees produce honey for us to eat and wax to make candles if the power goes out. Don’t kill bees! Bees feed us. — J. Wilson, Gr. 3 (Desmarais)

We need bees. Without them, we would die. — L. Hogan, Gr. 3 (Desmarais)

No stepping on bees!! Let the bees fly! I learned that without plants, we would starve and wouldn’t have clothes. — P. Boucher, Gr. 3 (Masson)

To help bees we can’t step on them the next time we see them. Or by leaving dandelions alone or other wildflowers like purple ones or blue flowers you didn’t plant. — R. Doyle, Gr. 3 (Fogarty)

Bees help farmers. They help plants grow and since they produce food, they help keep people alive. — S. Glickman, Gr. 3 (Desmarais)

Help bees produce honey by not killing dandelions. — T. Burnap, Gr. 3 (Masson)

To help the bees we could not wave your hands around. So they will not get mad because then they will sting you and die! — C. Fredette, Gr. 4 (Behr)

To help bees I would stop spraying the grass and bees’ homes. We need bees to help farms. Without bees we would not have clothes. Bees should be our friends. — K. Foster, Gr. 4 (Tuoni)

We can stop stepping on bees, we can not use cell phones a lot, and we can stop using pesticide! — J. Hannafin, Gr. 5 (Pacheco)

What should we do to help bees? We could not go into their habitat and maybe take their honey. We could also not use bad pesticides, and leave them to their lives. — J. Hagopian, Gr. 5 (DeFeo)
We can save dandelions for the bees. Not use bad things. Farming: we can eat foods that come from our state. — E. McCool-Guglielmo, Gr. 5 (Pacheco)

The Rhode Island Farm to School Project encourages all RI school districts to buy locally grown foods to serve in school meals. It results from a collaboration between RI’s departments of Environmental Management, Health, and Education; and Farm Fresh RI, RI Farm Bureau, Southside Community Land Trust, RI public and independent schools, and RI’s farmers. Visit www.kidsfirstri.org to learn more.

Developing environmental literacy and awareness is a primary objective of South Kingstown elementary schools’ Community Learning Project. Community leaders have developed students’ “sense of place” so far this year through interactive presentations on local natural resources—parks and open spaces, watersheds, marine and wildlife, aquaculture, and agriculture. Sustainability has been featured throughout, emphasizing what the students themselves can do to help.

1,350 S.K. Students Take a Winter Hike

2009-01-27T16:34:00.022-05:00

The South Kingstown Land Trust took all S.K.’s 1st through 5th graders hiking last December.

Before heading out, the Land Trust’s Claudia Swain established a sense of place. She placed South Kingstown in geographical context, and showed photographs of local open spaces. She asked how students felt about their part of the world, their comfort here, whether it was “home.”

Claudia demonstrated how to prepare for a hike—clothes and shoes, snack, water, insect repellant, camera... And shared a fundamental tenet of conservation: “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” Students then got to hone their observation skills: stare at a partner, look away, and then try to detect what s/he had changed in the interval.

They learned that S.K.’s Land Trust is a group of people who preserve and protect the natural resources and open spaces of our town for the enduring benefit of our community. They work to maintain nice healthy places where we can live and grow, farm and hike… With clean water soaking through the ground of enough open, undeveloped land to fill underground aquifers.

Echoing that they’d rather be hiking and playing in the woods, students finally embarked... On a VIRTUAL hike down SKLT’s Browning Woods Farm trail.
Signs tell the farm’s 200-year history, prevent hikers from getting lost, and mark the original farmhouse’s ruins. Others identify wildlife—red salamanders, marsh ferns, eastern box turtles...

But only close observation brings the trail to life. Low to the ground are wintergreen berries. Looking up, an oak tree; and down again, its leaves and acorns. Not far behind, a squirrel and a trail of acorn caps leading to its nest. Bark above and needles below help identify trees like the triple-needled pitch pine. The American holly grows wild and festive in the winter with its red berries. Some plants like the sassafras vary greatly through the year. Dead trees that might have been culled instead form habitats for animals such as the pilliated woodpecker.

The white pine’s five-pronged needles make a natural cushion for lying with your feet propped up against its trunk, to view its soaring branches. Trail signs also direct attention upwards, perhaps to a great-horned owl’s nest.

Students end their hike animatedly, and are invited to come back any time! To bring friends and family, maybe take photos for SKLT’s annual contest. And to join SKLT’s 600 volunteers, perhaps helping them check their more than 120 properties over 2,000 acres.

Above all, simply to experience a sense of the place that is South Kingstown.

Asked what they would like to see 100 years from now on Browning Woods Farm trail, students answered:

“The stone walls! The signs! The pond! The trees!” — J. McNamar, Gr. 1

“… L. would like to see frogs, reindeer, Santa, trees 100 years from now while L. is on the trail.” — L. Robinson, Gr. 1

“… salamanders, chipmunks, birds, squirrels, and other animals that live in the woods.” — R. Grimes, Gr. 2

“… the nature trail actually existing and it either having more wildlife or the same amount... I would like it if people protected and gave birdhouses to nature.” — R. Doyle, Gr. 3

“… a red cardinal in 100 years. I learned today that near the So. Kingstown Land Trust there are three hiking trails. And there are tons and tons of trees on the three hiking trails. In one part of the trails there is a big open space where people used to live. Sometimes you see root tunnels and rocks that look like stairs.” — T. Wentworth, Gr. 3

“… an owl. I also would want to see the white pine tree with my feet on the bark. You don’t need a big load of stuff, you just need a backpack with things you need. I want to go some day! Keep the trails clean…” — A. Wilkinson, Gr. 3

“… that no trees are cut down.” — S. Rabidoux, Gr. 3

“… a red-backed salamander, a turtle, and a red-headed woodchuck.” — D. Colllina, Gr. 3

“… wild animals. Also I would like to see some trees that you don’t see around right now.” — C. Farias, Gr. 3

“… the same things.” — C. Neary, Gr. 4

“… old trees not being cut down.” — G. DiMillio, Gr. 5

“… more holly bushes and more streams and berry bushes. And more animals.” — J. Hagopian, Gr. 5

“… exactly how it is now, with all the trees and plants. Also I would like to see some more wild animals.” — A. Riggs, Gr. 5

Excerpts from student journals:

ILLUSTRATIONS (above): [1] A. Wilkinson, Gr. 3. [2] M. West, Gr. 5. [3] T. Smith, Gr. 5 . [4] M. Tibbits, Gr. 4. [5] E. Duckworth, Gr. 4. [6] J. Lindstrom, Gr. 3. [7] O. Manni, Gr. 4.

SLIDE SHOW (right): J. McCarty (1st), J. McNamar (1st), R. Grimes (2nd), C. Rekos (2nd), H. Sunderland (2nd), E. Tondre (2nd), S. Briggs (3rd), T. Burnap (3rd), D. Collina (3rd), C. Farias (3rd), C. Fredette (4th), H. Misto (3rd), S. Rabidoux (3rd), S. Calvino (4th), C. Hogan (4th), C. Moffitt (4th), M. Robinson (4th), E. Thulier (4th), G. Dimillio (5th), A. Edson (5th), J. Hagopian (5th), J. Hannafin (5th), L. Leonard (5th).

NOTE TO PARENTS: Just ask your child if s/he wants to go! The Browning Woods Farm trail is off Shannock Road — visit www.SKLT.org and click on Trail Maps. Joining SKLT gets you their newsletter listing events, hikes and SKLT-sponsored programs — and helps preserve S.K.’s open space!

By Rian Smith

Lions & Tigers & Bears on Our Bay? Oh, Yes!

2008-12-30T19:27:00.031-05:00

South Kingstown’s elementary students were riveted by a sweeping account of Narragansett Bay’s history in November. Capers Jones, member of New England’s Antiquities Research Association and author of The History and Future of Narragansett Bay, brought an extraordinary array of facts, figures and images spanning the origins of the bay through to the present day. Under the aegis of the district’s pilot Community Learning Project, the vivid presentation enabled students to project themselves back—way back—through the ages with ease and pronounced enthusiasm.

Until 15,000 years ago, Rhode Island was covered by glaciers between 500 and 5,000 feet thick. When the ice melted, the bay became a freshwater lake spanning Providence to Block Island. Low shrubs and evergreens grew in sheltered places and fish thronged the bay, streams, and ponds in a climate too cold for trees, mammals, or year-round settlements.

Animals that evolved in the cold of 8,000 years ago include the short-faced bear, large dire wolf, outsized American lion, saber-tooth tiger, giant beaver, wooly mammoth, and the great auk. The chipmunk, because it could live closer to glaciers, remains the only animal still around on our shores today.

Human history dates back 10,000 years as evidenced by local Native American artifacts. There also may have been European explorers as of 1,000 years ago; the first European visitor was confirmed in 1524. Early stone circles and structures now serve as local landmarks, like the Newport Tower, which remains a mystery as to when and why it was built. Notable local historical figures include Matthew Perry, treaty signer; Oliver Hazard Perry, naval commander, Thomas Lincoln Casey, monument designer; Anne Hutchinson, founder of Portsmouth; and Gilbert Stuart, portrait painter.

Encouraged to learn more about Narragansett Bay history, students were reminded of the wealth of opportunities nearby, including the Pequot, South County, and Herreshoff museums, and Smith's Castle.

When asked what they would like to have seen or done if transported back 10,000 years, the 1st through 5th graders expressed the gamut of practical possibilities. (And some, naturally, the improbable—but with impeccable use of the subjunctive.)

— “I would take chipmunks as pets. Why? Because they are so cute and I want to learn and observe the chipmunks.” [2nd grade—Carroll]

— “I would make shelter and find food and look for animals and make a fire.” [2nd grade—Carroll]

— “I would figure out what caused the weir to be there. I would also take pictures of the animals.” [3rd grade—Fogarty]

— “I would try to find a cave so I could live in it. If there wasn’t a cave, I would build a house out of wood.” [3rd grade—Fogarty]

— “I would want to hunt a saber-toothed tiger. I would want to build something that would be really cool like a huge stone building.” [3rd grade—Heid]

— “I would make a tree-house city for me to live in.” [3rd grade—Masson]

— “I think I would take photographs of animals like the saber-toothed tiger or the Native American lion! And lots more…” [3rd grade—Masson]

— “I’d study the plant and animal life that inhabited the land.” [4th grade—Cole]

— “A dolmen is a big rock. I would stand on it and try to hunt a wooly mammoth for food. There were also smaller rocks on the bottom of the dolmen.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

— “…I would make a hut. Then I would fish and hunt animals then I would use the animals’ fur for clothing and blankets and other things that I use now.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

— “I would try to build shelter and build rock walls in the water to get fish. I would build bows and arrows and make furs to put on.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

— “I would make a shelter, fire, get food, and then I would make tools to hunt and survive.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

By Jon Pincince & Rian Smith

Students Vow to Protect Their Watershed

2008-12-08T10:30:00.016-05:00

The Narrow River is a narrow tidal inlet that opens into the Atlantic Ocean at Narragansett Beach. Its watershed constitutes 14 square miles along the river in South and North Kingstown and Narragansett that drain into Rhode Island Sound. Richard Grant, president of the Narrow River Preservation Association, and volunteers visited South Kingstown elementary schools to tell 1st through 5th graders about how they can help protect and preserve the Narrow River watershed.

Richard and his cartwheel team of volunteers, Rosemary Smith, Veronica Berounsky and Mary Jane Kanoczet first explained their mission: to restore, protect and preserve the quality of the natural environment and communities within the Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River Estuary and Watershed. They work to keep the river clean and free of pollution so that both people and wildlife can continue to use the river safely.

A contoured model enabled students to visualize how water and other substances enter a watershed and eventually wind up in the river. Richard squirted water onto the sides of the model to demonstrate that a watershed is basically a basin, just like a sink or a bathtub. Water runs down the sloping sides of the basin and collects in an area at the bottom like a river, eventually draining out at the lowest point.

Photographs illustrated the watershed’s flora and fauna — osprey, ducks, flounder, sea stars, quahogs, and even oysters. A map detailed the roughly 8,000 acres of the Pettaquamscutt River Estuary, the coastal body of water where salty ocean tides and fresh river water merge.

While some land along the river has remained natural, some, of course, has been built up. Pollution found in the river is called non-point pollution since there is no one place, such as an industrial site, that is its single source. It comes from many different sources such as pipes that run into the river, fertilizer from lawns, septic systems, and bird waste. Detention ponds built at the opening of some pipes collect pollution and prevent it from entering the river.

One essential job is regular monitoring and testing the water by volunteers so that the Preservation Association can track of the cleanliness of the water with the help of URI.

What can students — or any of us — do to help the Narrow River?

Do tie into town sewers, or
Do inspect and pump septic tanks regularly.
Don't use lawn fertilizers or herbicides.
Don't dump lawn clippings, leaves or trash into the river.
Do operate watercraft responsibly.
Do pick up pet waste.
Don't feed waterfowl.
Don't put anything down the sink that you wouldn't eat or drink.
Don't dump anything down storm drains.
Do report any suspected problems to the RI DEM at (401) 222–1360.

To conclude, students were asked to write or draw in their journals about what they — as keepers of the Narrow River — had learned about protecting and preserving a watershed. Here are some of their responses:

— “Don’t put anything down the water drains. Don’t throw any stuff in the water.” [2nd grade]

— “I can help by not putting/dumping trash by the watershed. You do that because if you do it will eventually run into the river or ocean. It might even take months, but it goes down somehow. They build ponds to keep oil and other things out of our oceans and rivers.” [3rd grade]

— “I will help the watershed by: not polluting, not putting grass or leaf clippings into the water, not dumping waste into grates, and not LITTERING!” [3rd grade]

— “I think I can help the river by picking up a lot of trash.” [3rd grade]

— “How can you help the rivers? Do not throw garbage in the rivers. Did you know there are fantastic creatures in the bottom of the river like starfish and things like that? You can make rivers a better place!” [4th grade]

— “I can help by not feeding birds by the river, and telling my dad not to use a lot of fertilizer. I can not dump trash into/near the watershed.” [5th grade]

— “Do not throw trash in rivers. Do not feed the birds. Don’t use too much fertilizer. Do tell about a problem if there is one. The river is by Narragansett Beach. The Narrow River is also called the Pettaquamscutt River.” [5th grade]

By Jon Pincince & Rian Smith

Close Encounters with Narragansett Bay

2008-12-01T12:20:00.015-05:00

South Kingstown, RI — November 2008

More than ten years ago, Rhode Island native Mark Hall felt compelled to provide hands-on, educational marine science programs for students and their families. So he founded Biomes Marine Biology Center in North Kingstown. In Novemer, Mark brought inhabitants of Biomes’ 600-gallon aquarium into South Kingstown’s elementary schools to allow students a close encounter with life in the waters of Narragansett Bay.

Mark told students that he fell in love with the work of the marine biologist back when he was in elementary school. After studying biology in college, he began to teach. He invited students to visit Biomes Center for fun ways to learn more about saltwater animals. The small size of the aquarium, he explained, allows you to get a closer look and do a lot of touching. “Our shark is very friendly—you can come right up and pet him! And we have a stingray—but do we pet the ray?” “No!” chorused students. And then they turned to the really fun stuff… the live specimens.

Out of Biomes’ travel aquarium first emerged… a splayed, knobby starfish. This five-armed creature, also called a sea star, has the impressive ability to regenerate arms if one is lost to a predator. “Yes, that’s right—a predator is any animal that eats others.” Sometimes a starfish re-grows not just one, but two arms—“I’ve even seen as many as eight arms!"

Another unusual starfish trait is its five eyes, one at the tip of each arm. The starfish does not see what we see, however: its eyes only perceive light and dark. Its vision is sufficient for finding the safest place to hide, like under rocks, always moving towards the dark. Starfish also have hundreds of little feet like suction cups under its arms which enable it to move around. (Click here to find out from Biomes how this ruthless predator eats!)

A wave of excitement greeted the next specimen: a sleek, gleaming horseshoe crab — a female, always bigger than the male. Perhaps the most interesting fact about horseshoe crabs is that they have existed in the same form since before the time of the dinosaurs — more than 300 million years!

The two bumps on the top of the crab are two of its nine eyes. While most of its eyes see only light and dark like the starfish, these two big eyes are compound eyes, like insects, each made up of hundreds of tiny eyes. Despite its intimidating appearance with its ferocious-looking tail, the crab is not dangerous at all and can’t hurt us. In fact, the tail has only one purpose: when turned upside-down, the crab sticks its tail into the ground and flips itself back over using its tail muscles. (Click here to find out more about this extraordinary survivor!)

So don’t ever pick up or carry a horseshoe crab by its tail, because you could harm muscles crucial to its survival. While horseshoe crabs are not yet endangered, today they are in more trouble than ever before.

And for the finale… a prickly, little fish. (Huh?) Mark won’t tell students its name… “You tell ME after it demonstrates a most distinctive skill!” Fish, unlike many other animals, tend to swallow their prey whole. So those that are too big to be swallowed stand a much better of chance of surviving. He held the fish underwater and… guess what happened when he tickled its belly?

The little fish ballooned to many times its original size! Mark raised the fish out of the water for students to see the change for themselves. “Why, it’s a pufferfish!” Gentle handling calmed the pufferfish down; it spat out the water it had swallowed to protect itself, and deflated back to its normal small size. (Click here to find out more about this fierce predator!)

This Norther Pufferfish lives only in cold waters. What might happen to this species if climate change makes the ocean temperature rise out in Narragansett Bay?

Concluding their encounter with some of the marvels of Narragansett Bay, students wrote and drew in their journals. Here is what some students at Matunuck Elementary School had to say:

“I didn’t know the horseshoe crab was endangered.” [4th grade—Tuoni]

“The horseshoe crab has been in our world for almost 300 million years. Horseshoe crabs are now becoming endangered. That is very sad.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

“The pufferfish was so awesome! It was my favorite kind of fish; it puffed up because Mark tickled his belly to think he was being swallowed. When they think they are swallowed, they puff up so the bigger fish could not eat it and it would spit it out. I thought it was kind of secret weapon because the fish that wanted to eat the pufferfish would not know it was a pufferfish. The BAM, it would puff up. That seems cool!” [3rd grade—Fogarty]

“The pufferfish swallows water so it can’t be eaten. A pufferfish can’t live in warm water or it will die. Global warming is hurting pufferfish.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

“I never knew a pufferfish swallowed water to get big. I always thought it blows up its cheeks with air. Plus I always wanted to be a marine biologist like the guy in the presentation.” [4th–5th grade—Cole]

“Narragansett Bay animals will be endangered if global warming gets bad. The pufferfish protects itself by swallowing water to get too big to be swallowed. Starfish have 5 eyes. One on each leg. The orange dot on starfish is where they swallow water. They have lots of suckers on the bottom of them.” [5th grade—DeFeo]

By Jon Pincince & Rian Smith
________________________

S.K. Elementary Schools Community Learning Project
“My Place” will continue to cover heritage and history, marine life, aquaculture, agriculture, watersheds, and land conservation in and around Narragansett Bay through the fall. “My People” will address basic human needs and diversity during the winter; and “My Environment” will focus on natural processes and local flora and fauna in the spring.

Resolving to Be More Eco-Friendly in S. Kingstown

2008-11-20T15:07:00.021-05:00

South Kingstown, RI — November 2008

Claire Hall, president of The "Did You Know?" Foundation, took the stage at each of South Kingstown's four elementary schools to inspire students to "make eco-friendly choices in their everyday lives." Addressing sustainable behavior in the context of S.K. schools new Community Learning Project, Claire animatedly illustrated why it matters, and iterated simple, concrete steps each student could take.

Claire first stresses the three R's of sustainability — reduce, reuse and recycle — as she walks students through choices they make with their families every single day. Asking students to imagine they’re on a trip to the supermarket, Claire calls a student up to help choose which potato chips to choose from the shelf. With help from schoolmates, the volunteer selects one large bag of loose chips over one large bag filled with many smaller bags. In order to minimize our effect on the environment, we have to make less trash—and that means reducing how much packaging we buy.

Another opportunity to reduce, Claire suggests, is when we brush our teeth. If you run the water during those recommended 2 minutes of brushing, did you know that you waste more than 4 gallons of water each time? And what about the water we waste as we wait for our shower to warm up? Why not capture it in a bucket to water our plants and flowers later!

Next comes the challenge of packing a waste-free lunch. Did you know that every year the average student throws away more than 90 pounds of trash from their lunches? (Just imagine 350 of one bigger student ending up in the school’s dumpster at the end of each year!) Claire goes one by one through a typical brown-bag lunch; what can we eliminate in the way of waste and trash? The brown-bag itself can go—use a reusable lunch box or bag instead. How about a reusable drink bottle rather than a juice box? Why not use reusable plastic containers instead of disposable plastic snack and sandwich bags? Bring real utensils (remembering to bring them home again!) instead of disposable plastic ones. And how about cutting up an unpopular old bed-sheet into reusable, washable napkins!

Finally, students examine different types of plastics to learn that those marked with “1” and “2” inside the triangle on the bottom can be recycled in Rhode Island. Other plastics, such as “5”, are good for reuse. Many are surprised to find out that we have to take caps off all bottles before putting them in the recycle bin. If left on, the bottles will end up in the landfill after all.

Claire closes by asking students to write down what steps they plan to take to reduce waste in their own lives.

What can YOU do to become more eco-friendly?

Here what some students at Matunuck Elementary School resolved in response:

“What I will do differently to help the earth is to not recycle bottle caps. Use reusable containers for my lunch, and take a shower for 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes.

“I am going to do a trash-free lunch. I am going to use a reusable cloth napkin. I am going to use a reusable bag and more. All I can to give back to what makes me live!
“I learned that recycling is important. I will save some water somewhere at home or the shower because the things that I learned were cool at school. I liked that it was good!

“I am going to recycle. And I will take the cap off of the water bottles. I will reduce, reuse, recycle. If it does not have a “1” or a “2”, reuse it. Now that [Claire] came and talked to us, I’m going to check the bottom of my water bottle and see if the number on the bottom is a “1” or a “2”.

“I will try to recycle more of my water bottles, bring water in a water container, and tell my mom to turn off the water when she is brushing her teeth.

“Do not leave the water running when you brush your teeth. Number 1 and 2 are recyclable. Number 5 is not recyclable. You can reuse it. You have to take caps off to recycle.

“I learned that you should use the least amount of packaging. I also learned that the school produces 300 "Logans" [schoolmate weighing approx. 90 lbs.] each year for garbage.

“I learned to try to use less packaging. I learned to not use plastic bags.

“I am going to buy big packages instead of little ones.

“I am going to recycle and reuse as much as I can!

“Reuse, reduce and recycle. Use reusable bags at the supermarket. When you brush your teeth, don't keep the water on because you are wasting 4 quarts of water. 1 & 2 are things that you can recycle. 4 & 5 are not, but they are reusable. Buy things that have less stuff to throw out.

By John Pincince & Rian Smith

S.K.’s Community Learning Project’s fall segment entitled “My Place” will continue with history, marine life, shellfish aquaculture, agriculture, watersheds, and land conservation in and around Narragansett Bay. This winter the segment entitled “My People” will address basic human needs and diversity; and “My Environment” will focus on natural processes and local flora and fauna in the spring.

S.K. Students Learn How to Help RI Wildlife

2008-11-08T17:32:00.061-05:00

South Kingstown, RI — October 2008

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service brought their mission — and an extraordinary array of specimens and artifacts — into South Kingstown’s four elementary schools throughout the month of October. Participating in the first round of S.K. School’s new Community Learning Project, Janis Nepshinsky, Visitor Services Manager, taught 1st through 5th graders about Rhod e Island's National Wildlife Refuges.

Viewing a video about the role of wildlife refuges in protecting migratory birds and other wildlife, students considered their favorite animal and which they one day might like to study. They clamored to share their choices — piping plovers, fiddler crabs, turtles, deer… Many Rhode Island refuges were featured, including Trustom Pond here in South Kingstown, Sachuest Point in Middletown, Ninigret in Charlestown, Block Island, and John H. Chafee at Pettaquamscutt Cove.

Human transformation of vast areas of Earth over time has necessitated protection of wildlife habitats. In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national refuge on Pelican Island in Florida. The National Wildlife Refuge System has since grown to include more than 540 refuges in all 50 states and many U.S. territories, encompassing more than 94 million acres.

Students saw many birds and wildlife that live in Rhode Island— and discovered that their help is needed. Refuges rely on many partners and volunteers — including young children — to accomplish their goals of protecting and educating people about wildlife.

Next came the most exciting part of the program: show and tell. Exotic wildlife artifacts were displayed and carried around the auditorium by parent volunteers. Students touched the skull of a loggerhead sea turtle, felt turkey feathers, hooted at animal "scat," and discovered that the skin of a horseshoe crab is shed much as a snake sheds its skin.

Janis explained that as a biologist, her job basically is to learn about and protect wildlife. But the National Wildlife Refuge System has various jobs available, including special agents and wildlife detectives to help fight poaching and the illegal use of animal parts in clothing, jewelry, and otherwise. Special agents are stationed at airports to catch people trying to smuggle illegal animals into the United States, such as turtles — for barrettes — and baby alligators — for handbags.

She told students that it was her own experience witnessing the illegal use of animals that inspired her to become a wildlife biologist. She encouraged students to do their part to protect wildlife and educate others about the importance of that protection. The program concluded with students writing and drawing in their journals about one special thing they had learned that afternoon.

All reflections and illustrations are from 1st-5th grade student journals at Matunuck Elementary School, October 27, 2008.

“I learned we need to take better care of our community and natural habitats. I also learned how many animals are endangered…”

“Never kill for fun! Don’t hunt to get fancy stuff!”

“People would kill an elephant [to use its] foot for a wastebasket or take an antelope and make a coat. They would turn a sea turtle upside down so it can suffer. They would use a sea turtle’s shell for a barrette. Some people would kill a rhinoceros [to use its] horn to make jewelry. People would hunt animals for something on their body to get money. How would you like it if someone killed you? I liked this program.”

“I learned that every creature is equal and you shouldn’t [poach] them just for one part of them.”

“I learned that you can’t just kill an animal for no reason and that that’s why they have wildlife refuges.”

“I will never kill animals. They're almost my favorite thing in the world.”

“I learned that we should not use animals' skin and things on animals. Because if we do, more and more animals are killed each day. Then those animals are going to be extinct.”

“Today I learned that some people use elephant feet for trashcans and use antelope feet for ashtrays. I also learned that piping plovers are the most endangered animal in Rhode Island. Some people use peices of turtle backs for barrettes.”

“I learned that it is not good at all to harm an animal just for an item on the animal.”

“People would kill an elephant’s foot for a wastebasket or take an antelope and make a coat. They would turn a sea turtle upside down so it can suffer. They would use a sea turtle’s shell for a barrette. Some people would kill a rhinoceros horn to make jewelry. People would hunt animals for something on their body to get money. How would you like it if someone killed you? I liked this program.”

Article by Jon Pincince & Rian Smith

Student journals were made out of reuse materials from Recycling for R.I. Education, the teacher resource center!

S. County Museum Takes Students Back in Time

2008-11-07T06:13:00.021-05:00

Jim Carothers, South County Museum’s Director, is visiting South Kingstown’s elementary schools to show what life was like 200 years ago. In britches and suspenders, vest and pocket watch, he opens by asking students to travel back in time to a school just like theirs many years ago . . .

In 1818, schoolchildren needed the same skills as you do today. Student volunteers calculate the difference between 2008 and 1818 on a board — through the exact same process of carrying digits over that schoolchildren would have used then.

Pointing to a page from an old schoolbook, Mr. Carothers asks students to imagine they are in an 1818 classroom. Schoolbooks were very different — just loose pieces of paper. You learned by taking notes. But not in a notebook! You used chalk to copy down lessons on a piece of slate. For homework, you would take the slate home to copy the lesson down again with pen and ink onto a sheet of paper.

Children had two sets of clothes. You wore one outfit every day of the week, and changed into your good clothes on Saturday for services. Your mom then washed your everyday clothes for you to wear again next week. Two new volunteers struggle into reproduction period clothing. A full-length gingham dress over a blouse with bonnet, and drop-front britches with suspenders over shirt are paraded down the center of the auditorium. How are his clothes different? Yes! He does have suspenders. No, he has no belt loops. No pockets in the back either. His mother made all his clothes for him, spinning the wool from flax first. Pockets would have been too expensive, a waste of cloth. And, no, no zippers — they weren’t invented yet — so just buttons, hooks and straps.

You had the same basic things inside your tin lunchbox as you might today, but they looked different. What is this spoon made out of… wood? bone? It’s a cow horn spoon! (you couldn’t afford metal) for your stew, porridge, or maybe soup. You had an apple — isn’t this one weird looking? Because it’s old? No, because I picked it from a heritage tree outside the museum, the same kind they had in 1818. And you had a piece of old crusty bread … and that’s about it!

To get to school, you had to walk, or ride on a horse or in a carriage. You played in the schoolyard until the teacher rang a large bell. Assuming the part, Mr. Carothers puts on a frock coat and a top hat. You went outside again for recess and lunch. You had to make your own things to play with — there was no plastic. The volunteers played a game called Grace across the cafeteria, trying to catch a wooden hoop on wooden sticks.

The presentation concluded with students reflecting in their journals about what they had learned. So just how different are you from schoolchildren 200 years ago?

Here is one account by a 2nd grader at Peace Dale Elementary School:

"The topic is chilchin

In the 1800’s I learned about the people. They did not have any TV’s. They didn’t have TV’s because they didn’t have power. They made spoons out of cow horns. They saved the cow horns for spoons. A man wrote a paragraph in cursive, one was his math and one was notes. He wrote by himself. In the 1818’s the girls wore bonnets. Bonnets are hats that keep away the sun, but now we use them for showers. And in 1818 they used a tin lunchbox and for their lunch, they got an apple, a piece of bread, and water and a spoon. The spoon was for the water. They cut the apple in half. They put it on the bread. They rang a bell. The bell was gold it was very loud. My ears popped like a fire engine, like the horn on a truck going wild, or the giant gold bell ringing, “a-ling a-ling!” They could ride in a carriage or walk; they can ride on a horse because the horse pulls the wagon. You can walk because it does the world a favor. It keeps the world alive.”

Illustrations by 2nd graders in Mrs. Santienello's at Peace Dale Elementary School, October 6, 2008.

By Rian Smith

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas Speaks to Students About Narragansett Tribe History

2008-10-23T11:47:00.021-04:00

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas of the Narragansett Indian Tribe honored 1st through 5th grade students at Matunuck Elementary with a presentation on tribal history and culture on October 6th.

Chief Sachem Thomas introduced himself as e nada wushawunun, "Seventh Hawk," in the language of the Narragansett. In partial tribal regalia, the chief explained that the wild turkey feathers in his headdress reflected high respect for the turkey, as echoed by American families everywhere during Thanksgiving. The Chief's traditional dress also featured a belt strung with white shell beads, wampum, that were used in trading. And he showed students a fan made especially for him from the wing of . . . a hawk.

The Chief displayed many artifacts, explaining their origins, uses and special significance to the Narragansett, and illuminating the context of each in the students' world today. The peace pipe, for example, was used as a means of prayer with kinnikinnick, tobacco (which is not to be abused). Weaponry used in past inter-tribal conflicts that had to be settled through war included a shield from a snapping turtle’s shell, and a tomahawk—a hammer—made of stone. Everything the Indians had, the Chief explained, came from the earth—much as most everything children have today comes from the earth in some way.

Continuing to relate tribal traditions to the students' world, the Chief presented a "talking stick" which is used to confer the right to speak upon the holder. It indicates the listener's respect for the speaker, just as the raised hand in school does today.

The kids' favorite parts were obvious: murmurs and whispers and the occasional squeal sounded whenever they were invited to touch or hold some special item from the Chief’s large black duffel. They reached out to feel the shells on the wampum belt, and stroke an otter skin that is wrapped around the head as a hat.

But the loudest ooh's and aah's greeted a wooden staff . . . with the head of an eagle perched on top. Made for the Chief Sachem to celebrate his ten years as tribal leader, he expressed pride in the honor conferred upon him. The eagle, he explained, is protected by federal law—only special dispensation allows such rare ceremonial use by the Narragansett.

He went on to compare the Chief Sachem's role in the Narragansett Indian Tribe with the President's in the United States. The Narragansett are also governed by a medicine man and a nine-member council. The tribe celebrated its 333rd annual powwow this year; the majority of its population of approximately 2,300 members live in Rhode Island, but some live in other states and countries, and many return to gather in Charlestown in August each year.

Then the Chief Sachem answered questions, such as: Is a hawk dangerous? Must Indians kill the animals they use to adorn their clothes? Do you always wear that medallion? The session concluded with students expressing their thoughts on what they had learned about the Narragansett in journals made to capture their reactions to presentations throughout the year.

Large in stature, measured and clear in speech, sharing the most sacred of his tribe’s artifacts, Chief Sachem Thomas embodied his final message to Matunuck students: I welcome all of you to our tribal events and celebrations.

(The Chief also gave a special demonstration to a few students outside the auditorium after his presentation, with NBC Channel 10's Michelle Brown and camera looking on. "I found it interesting because it’s very cool to have Chief Sachem in our school," said one of the students interviewed. NBC 10 reported the story, with video, here.)

By Jon Pincince & Rian Smith