Gainesville Exploration Academy has received exemplary distinction as a National Wildlife Federation Eco-School.
The Eco-Schools program strives to model "environmentally sound practices, provide support for greening the curriculum, and enhance science and academic achievement," according to a news release from the Gainesville City Schools System. Additionally, the program’s initiatives strive to foster a greater sense of environmental stewardship among youth.
The school received this honor through the creation of the Pachyderm Path, a nature trail located behind the school. The trail is a little over a half mile and features a solar system walk with codes to learn about the planets. Scattered along the trail are the letters of the alphabet for younger students to find. Students can engage in scavenger hunts that correlate to Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies instructional standards. An interactive timeline highlighting the Civil War is also included along the trail. Teachers can tailor their lesson plans to incorporate the nature trail as an instructional resource for hands-on student learning.
Now that GEA has earned Eco-School status, there are plans to work toward receiving future awards as the school continues to "go green." Dr. Kerri Palmer, GEA STEAM teacher, said "The next step is to try to receive the Green Flag award. In order to do this, we need to further incorporate the Pachyderm Path into our lessons and teach our students to become stewards of the Earth."
