I went to their classroom last May to get photos and ask them about their posters. My apologies that these kids became 4th graders before I got this posted, but better late than never! I was impressed with what they learned and their eagerness to share it. Good luck to them all in the coming school year!
Here’s our conversation:
Me: Tell me about your posters.
Russell Stevens: We’re trying to inform people to not destroy wetlands.
Cole Gilbert: The contest was about who could make the best message to prevent wetlands destruction.
Mason Fuller: We want to prevent people from taking habitat away from the animals.
Hannah Belch: We should protect the wetlands. If we destroy the animals’ home, it will also destroy our home.
Lee Winstead: The wetlands filter water, and help give us clean, fresh water.
Becky Boos: Without wetlands, animals would lose their homes and become extinct.
Cole Gilbert: And if you take one plant or animal out of the food chain, it affects the whole food chain.
Alexander O’Neal: It’s illegal to fill in wetlands.
Parker Gaskill: Ocracoke is like one, big wetlands. The wetlands help with floodwater, too.
Paige Bennett (their teacher): Studying wetlands is not a part of the 3rd grade curriculum, but we wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. The project did include informational and persuasive writing, which is part of 3rd grade. They learned about all kinds of wetlands….
Kids: Swamps! Bogs! Ditches! Lakes! Creeks! Prairie potholes! Marshes!
Me: What kinds of animals live in the wetlands?
Kids: Ducks! Fish! Egrets! Herons! Cranes!
Dylan Esham: And nutria, which are destroying the native plants.
Me: What are the native plants?
Kids: Pampas grass! Cattails! Lily pads! Cypress trees! Black needle rush!
Christian Trejo: We need wetlands on Ocracoke.
Becky Boos: No wetlands, no Ocracoke!
Stacy Midgett from Hyde County Extension Office did the judging: 1st place: Dylan Esham; 2nd place Mason Fuller; 3rd place: Christian Trejo
