Nature alive thanks to grant

By: TIM MAYER - Staff Writer | Monday, September 20, 2004 9:37 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- Nancy Villalobos' fourth-grade class spread out on the Jefferson Elementary School playground in groups armed with compasses and maps Monday to find their place in the world as the first step toward becoming young scientists.

"We're going to be learning about how to take care of our world," Villalobos said during the opening lesson of a hands-on science program known as Communities Alive In Nature.

The program, in its fifth year at Jefferson and third at Calavera Hills Elementary, was saved from budget cuts this year thanks to a joint effort by Jefferson parent Sandra Aguilar and Calavera parent Lori Johnson. The two wrote an application that secured a $22,000 grant from the nonprofit San Diego Foundation.

The program "really adds not just to teaching science, but teaching science that relates every day to where they live, the environment and the community," Johnson said.

"We are thrilled," said Aguilar.

Both parents are members of their school's fund-raising committees, which in turn operate under the umbrella of the nonprofit Carlsbad Educational Foundation to find ways to collaborate and raise money for key programs.

Foundation executive director Diana Aaron said her organization, which itself raises hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly for the Carlsbad Unified School District, works with parent organizations, serves as their nonprofit umbrella and fiscal agent, and conducts grant writing seminars to put them on the right path.

"We help guide them," she said. "Once they have the tools, they are empowered to go out and do the research and writing."

Fourth-graders at both schools will be studying erosion while fifth-graders will be learning how to identify native and nonnative plants and restore natural areas, said Merle Okino O'Neill, founder of Communities Alive In Nature.

With the collaboration between the two schools, Jefferson students will be focusing on the beach area and Calavera students will be focusing on areas upstream, including the nearby Calavera Nature Preserve and lake.

The students may also switch areas to widen their learning, officials said.

Officials said what the program offers is intensive training for teachers so they can incorporate reading, writing, math and technology into the environmental studies. But the studies aren't limited to the classrooms.

Students also take field trips to study, conduct tests and record data for a presentation of their findings at the end of the school year.

Principals at both schools said they were pleased by the collaboration and the continuation of the science program.

"We are ecstatic," said Principal Devin Vodicka at Calavera Hills. "It enables us to provide real-world environmental field studies and restoration projects."

Jefferson Principal Carol Van Vooren said the lessons learned are important for today and the future.

"It develops a sense of caring for the environment that we hope builds lifelong patterns for students and their families," she said.

Parents Johnson and Aguilar said collaboration between the schools is going to be more and more important to keep key programs alive.

"With the budget crunch, we need to find ways to be more creative and get broader community support," Johnson said.

"It's a great way for schools to get together that have similar needs," Aguilar said.

Contact staff writer Tim Mayer at (760) 901-4043 or tmayer@nctimes.com.