The Legislative Press and Public Information Bureau
Distributed April 16, 2001
For more information,
contact: Dana Rae DelSignore, Publicist
State House Room 20
(401) 222-2457
Email: ddelsignore@rilin.state.ri.us
Senator Reed and Rep. Naughton head back to school
for science classSTATE HOUSE -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and state Rep. Eileen Naughton visited the Hoxsie Elementary School in Warwick Tuesday (April 10) to view firsthand an innovative program that brings science to life in the classroom.
The legislators observed fifth-grade students in the Graduate Teaching
Fellows in K-12 Program, which teams graduate students in marine and
environmental sciences at the University of Rhode Island together with
elementary school children throughout the state.
"This hands-on program really immerses students into the field of science," said Representative Naughton, who represents District 32 in Warwick. "Through their studies they have learned how important the Narragansett Bay is to our state. They have discovered the Bay is a thriving habitat teeming with vital organisms and plant life."
Senator Reed was invited to take part in today’s visit to see how federal funds are being used in the school. The program, which brings real-life science into the classroom via experiments, field trips and hands-on projects, is funded by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
Marine biologist Sarah Matarese has been visiting the school since September, and in collaboration with science teacher Gerrie Bastia has developed several activities for students in grades one through six.
In the first grade, Matarese brings in a new organism each week from the Narragansett Bay and places it in a saltwater tank. For third grade students, she has brought in various plants and animals from the Bay and had students identify how many were living.
Today, Senator Reed and Representative Naughton visited Mrs. Curtis’s fifth-grade class, where Matarese and Bastia have been teaching students how to classify different species of marine invertebrates (organisms that do not have backbones). Together, the legislators watched as students poked and prodded the sponges, starfish, mollusks, snails, lobsters and crabs spread out before them.
Once their observations are completed, the fifth-grade students will set up a poster exhibit in the school’s library so that other students can learn about marine invertebrates.
Both Sarah Matarese and Gerrie Bastia have nothing but praise for the program, which recruits 12 student fellows from URI each year and places them in schools from Westerly to Narragansett to Warwick.
"Sarah is a wonderful role model for all our students," said Bastia.
"She has changed their perception of what a scientist looks like and how a
scientist works. Our students have benefited in so many ways from this
program."
Thanks to the program, this year school children throughout the state have explored the delicate ecosystems of salt water marshes, learned about volcanoes from acclaimed scientist Steven Carey, and discovered the myriad forms of marine life that thrive within the Narragansett Bay.
"I will walk away from this program with a greater appreciation for elementary teachers," said Matarese, who is enrolled in a doctoral program at URI. "Most of all, I hope that the students have learned from me and will have a better knowledge and appreciation for the animals and plants that live in their oceans.
As always, your comments concerning this
page are welcomed and appreciated.
Thank you for stopping by!