The Edward Everett School Environmental Club

Week 8 - Blake House

2006-06-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

This week we went on a field trip to the Blake House, the oldest house in Dorchester. It is so close to the school that we actually walked there and back. When we got there, we were met by Ellen Berkland, an archaeologist for the city of Boston, who currently lives in the Blake House. She gave us a tour of the house, and we got to see some of the interesting and very old things that she has discovered in and around the house.

You can see all of our photos from Blake House in the Gallery.

Week 6 - Walden Woods

2006-05-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

This week Mr O'Halloran's class, including some members of the Environmental Club and the Science Photography Club, got to go to Walden Woods. We were there to see the ceremony celebrating the opening of a new trail in the woods, called "Thoreau's Path on Brister's Hill." Senator Ted Kennedy and Don Henley were among the people who gave speeches (Senator Kennedy said hello to the students during his speech!), and the Science Photography Club's poster was displayed proudly for everyone to see.

After the speeches, the students got a guided tour of Walden Woods, starting with a visit to Henry David Thoreau's house. Then we traveled the path along Walden Pond and into the woods. It was raining when we started but by the end of the trip the sun had come out.

You can see all of our photos from Walden Woods in the Gallery.

Week 5

2006-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

It was raining a lot today, so the students stayed in and explored the club website and photo gallery. Later, two photographers brave enough to go out in the rain took pictures with Ms. Heespelink.

Kenny: I took a picture of a stange looking bird that looked like a kiwi. I took a picture of it because it looked like a kiwi and a kiwi is rare to be found around these parts so it would be cool to have a picture of a rare bird. I also took a picture of a purple tulip. I took a picture of it because it reminded me of my mom because she likes the color purple and the color lilac.

Natasha: I took a picture of all the flowers that were in the side of the school. When I went outside it was raining. The flowers in the fence were all different colors. I took a picture of the tree next to the wildflower seeds. No wildflowers were growing yet.

You can see all of our photos from Week 5 in the Gallery.

Week 4

2006-04-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

This week the students did some planting and observed the many bulbs that bloomed while they were away for April vacation.

Reporter: Diep

In the front of the school, the cherry tree has buds. This cherry tree does not have or will not grow cherries.

In the onion family the "leaf" is not grass. You will know because it is hollow.

In the front of the school there is a mystery tree. It is alternate and has lots of mini leaves. One guess of the mystery tree is a trembling tree.

If a plant looks dead it could still be alive.

In the front of the school there are purple tulips blooming.

Over vacation buds bloomed. The side school yard has colorful flowers. The Hyacinth smell very good like perfume. The viburnum also has a good smell.

The serviceberry tree has white flowers on it.

Reporter 2: Desiree

A type of grass smells like garlic.

A daffodil is yellow and has no smell.

There is an unidentified tree with tiny leaves like a heart and has teeth.

The tulip is purple and is like a rose and smells like perfume.

Reporter 3: Heather

There is a white-flowered plant that smells like strong perfume.

Reporter 4: Jillian

Weather is nice outside. We are looking at a tree and we are seeing what it is and we are looking at daffodils. We are looking at grass that is called onecon grass (??) and there are red flowers that are rose. We are looking at a tree that has yellow flowers and there are purple flowers.

You can see all of our photos from Week 4 in the Gallery.

Week 3

2006-04-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

This week each team marked a circle on the ground in the front of the schoolyard and explored the flora there. We also helped move some old plants to a pile in the back of the school.

Group 1
Reporter 1: Leslie
Reporter 2: Daniella
Photographer: Jillian

Inside the string is a tree with dirt. The tree also has a lot of stems and a couple of buds. And near the tree there is a little grass that looks fresh green. And we found a dandelion in our circle.

--Daniella

A list of what was in the circle:

A white flower.
A gray shrub, dead or alive.
tulips

Also, we saw striped crocuses.

We put branches in a tarp.

-- Leslie

Group 2
Photographer: Diep

Sketch Recorder: Michael

You can see all of our photos from Week 3 in the Gallery.

Week 2

2006-04-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

This week the students learned about the difference between opposite and alternate branches, and did some bark rubbings out in the schoolyard.

Group 1
Photographer: Victor
Reporter: Hamza

Today it was rainy and snowing.

A) Opposite: they're not a zig-zag
B) Alternate: it goes in a zig-zag

They are coloring a paper on the bark of the tree. Why? To identify the tree. We all did them except Victor because he is the photographer.

Somebody put a hole in the tree and maple syrup is coming out.

We had to use flash because it was dark. Everything is wet. We could see our breath.

We had a quiz for alternate and opposite.

The crocuses are blooming.

Group 2
Reporter: Kenny
Photographer: Katherine

It is 30'F, snowy and rainy.

An alternate tree is in front of the rooms.

Big alternate tree in front of Room 2. Moss on the foot, lichen on the bark.

We found an acorn cap, I think it's from an oak tree.

A skinny alternate tree is next to Room 13.

Group 3
Photographer: Revon
Reporter: Daniella

It was rainy and chilly.

On the tree next to the back there is a print of Daniella's thumb.

On the tree there is a lot of moss.

The bark isn't smooth.

Tree 2: On the second tree it is way more smoother.

We are near the huge rocks.

Tree 3: The tree is drier and bumpier than the others.

We are near the big rock near the birch.

Tree 4: A Dawn Redwood

It has opposite buds.

The crocuses are blooming purple.

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You can see all of our photos from Week 2 in the Gallery.

Week 1 - Our First Meeting

2006-03-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

Every week our club will have reporters and photographers recording what we discover.

This week our reporters were Sheyna and Salma. Leslie and Michael were our photographers, and Michael did some reporting too.

Salma:

This is a picture of a Chrysanthemum. It was alive last year and now it is dead.

This plant when you pick it out, it smells like onion.

There are supposed to be tulips.

We saw garlic mustard.

We saw beach plum and a cherry tree. The cherry tree is not going to give us cherries.

We saw dandelions and daylilies.

We saw the bark of a cherry tree, and a weeping tree.

We put a fence around the bulbs.

Shayna:
Some plants may come back to life but it depends on what kind of plant it is. And we also took pictures of a beautiful chrysanthemum that can only grow with intensive care. Plants have a very natural smell to them just like the garlic mustard plant. But the one that really caught my eye was the Yew plant, plus the evergreen tree has red ripe cherries on it.

Michael:
Artemisia is a small light green type of leaf.

Red twig dogwood is a red stick.

We found a stick that was gold and it was an opposite plant.

We found a tree in our school yard with no branches.

On a tree trunk in our yard we found a lot of moss.

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You can see all of our photos from Week 1 in the Gallery.

Greenhouse Treasure Hunt a Success

2006-03-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

This past January, students from the Science Photography Club spent one lucky winter day in the warm confines of UMass Boston's greenhouses. The students participated in a treasure hunt where they learned about the ways leaves are shaped and arranged on plants. Roniyah and Erico tied for finding the highest number of items on the treasure hunt. You can see the students' photos in the EFG Biodiversity Image Gallery. The photo you see here is Roniyah's favorite.

The UMB University Reporter published a story about the treasure hunt in their February edition (.pdf).