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CASE STUDIES

Citizen Science Explorations

ALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ALPENA, MICHIGAN

PROJECT SUMMARY

Alpena Public Schools serves about 4,000 students throughout Alpena County and beyond.  The City of Alpena is in northeast Michigan, on the shoreline of Thunder Bay in Lake Huron.   Every public school in the district has participated with the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, one of the nine regional hubs that comprise the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative.  Many students in Alpena Public Schools will have three or more experiences with place-based stewardship education, in elementary school, junior high, and high school.

In the 2014–15 school year, students at Ella White Elementary, Thunder Bay Junior High, and Alpena High School participated in citizen science efforts focused on invasive rusty crayfish, beach trash, vernal pools, and more, and explored the history and natural features of this unique community.

“The greatest benefit of connecting stewardship to the classroom is getting the students outside – as involved citizens.”

Bob Thomson
Teacher, Ella White Elementary