Crestview pupils to begin exploring environment

The pupils will do a digital journal for the Web site.

COLUMBIANA — A $500 grant from FirstEnergy will enable pupils at Crestview Local Elementary School to explore their environment.

The grant, coupled with a $200 contribution from the school, is funding “The Heat Is On!,” a multidisciplinary project targeting third- and fourth-graders.

It is designed to help them explore the environment, their personal impact on it, the possibility of global warming and the effects of recycling on the earth’s ecosystems.

Fourth-grade teachers Tom Watson and Lynn Hill and third-grade teacher Susan Kershner put the program together.

A pupil-created digital journal of various activities will be placed on the district’s Web site.

The pupils will study local weather, learn how to predict weather from cloud formations and create weather forecasts.

They will participate in an Internet scavenger hunt to learn about climate change, the greenhouse effect and how individuals can make a positive impact on the environment.

They will study ecosystems, global climate changes and landfills and present their findings to classmates.

Field trips, virtual stream studies, discussions with naturalists and industry leaders, science experiments and research will all be part of the effort.

Presentations by business leaders in the energy, manufacturing, farming and government sectors will also by part of the program.

There will be a hands-on Earth Day Festival in April with pupil-created interactive displays to encourage all pupils to learn about the environment.

It’s a multidisciplinary approach using pupil skills in science, math, language arts, technology and art.