Jessie Goodwin looks through the flowers in front of the Johnson School in Nahant. Courtesy Photo
By Bridget Turcotte
NAHANT — The Johnson Elementary School is changing its curriculum to use more of the town’s resources for learning.
“The school is exploring the concept of place-based education, which calls for the use of nearby natural, cultural, and historic features to teach reading, science, math, social studies, and the arts,” said Principal Kevin Andrews.
He stressed the importance of teaching themes that encourage children to care for their local environment through gardening, composting and recycling.
The school’s sixth graders completed the first service learning project, decorating the front of the building for the fall season. They planted and arranged mums, decorative cabbages, millet and pumpkins donated by the Johnson School Parent Teacher Organization.
The landscaping was finished in time for the school’s open house so the children could proudly show off their work to parents, said Meredith Tibbo, sixth grade teacher.
“This supports our developing theme of place-based education, which is a pedagogy that calls for students to learn about and care for the local area before branching out in later years into the global world,” Andrews said.
The students completed the project during science class. Tibbo said she is excited the school is adopting the new style of learning, because she has been incorporating Nahant’s resources for years.
“This is just giving me more opportunity to be able to do it more often,” Tibbo said. “It’s wonderful. We have a connection with Dorothy Beach and the Marine Science Center. This will even include going up to the public library and more of the visits we already have at the Marine Science Center.”
At the start of the school year, Superintendent Anthony Pierantozzi said he wanted to pursue more outside activities that involved the gardening, maritime life, boating and other elements of Nahant’s coastal town.
“We want to take the culture of the environment into the school and also take the school into the environment,” he said.
As the school year moves forward, Tibbo hopes to hold lessons at local beaches. She wants her students to get hands-on experience helping with the town’s composting program and the Zero Waste Committee’s initiative to promote composting and recycling.
“That’s what we’re working towards this year for the whole school,” Tibbo said. “Putting our curriculum into getting to know Nahant better and all the resources. It’s just a great opportunity to explore and expand the curriculum and make it more hands on for the kids, too.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.