school programs

LCI works with several target schools including Whale Branch Middle and St. Helena Elementary to provide hands-on ecological programs for students. These programs are based on local habitats and are designed to get kids excited about the plants and animals that are native to the Port Royal Sound ecosystem. LCI staff work with teachers and students at these schools to help create outdoor classrooms and other learning opportunities on the school campuses.

The Teacher’s Master Naturalist program incorporates best practices for systemic school reform - it requires that the school’s principal initiate the partnership, and that each school send a team of lead teachers who are responsible for implementing their school’s science and math programs. LCI adapted its Master Naturalist curriculum to provide a program that teaches teachers how to use experiential learning most effectively to improve their school’s science and math programs. Participants engage in research and educational experiences designed to empower them to teach from a first person perspective, sharing their personal adventures with their classes.

click image to see photos of our school programs

During workshops, teachers set and check traps for fish, reptiles, and amphibians, conduct flora and fauna surveys, and collect and identify marine invertebrates and other organisms. As teams of teachers graduate from the course they continue to receive support for school-based projects from LCI staff and the local Master Naturalist association. The program began in 2007-2008 with two pilot schools, and has expanded to eight schools during the 2009-2010 school year. Teachers receive Master Naturalist certification and continuing education credit after completing the year-long program.