The Charlestown Project
A group of Extension School students had a mission—spread the word about the importance of water and of keeping it clean. Aiding them was a group of fifth grade students from Warren Prescott Elementary School in Charlestown, Mass. They were going to stencil storm drains around town with the important message—Don’t Dump: Drains to Boston Harbor.
Photos: Jeffry Pike
Music: “The What” by Dublin Duck Dispensary, Yykes Basket (2009), powered by Jamendo
Phase 1: The Extension students create a plan for community outreach
A dedicated student group, called Quest—born out of classroom collaborations at the Extension School between 1 environmental management and 2 education courses—went to work to plan a curriculum to raise the awareness of future generations about the interconnectivity of water to the local and international community. Once a plan was in place, Quest reached out to the Charlestown elementary school and in teacher Tina Champagne and her students, found like minds.
Phase 2: Quest talks with the Warren Prescott Elementary School Green Team
The young students, who had formed their own environmental awareness task force called the Green Team, listened attentively to what Quest had to say about water issues. And together they formed a plan—stencil the city storm drains to encourage the community to think twice about where their street trash goes.
Phase 3: Everyone pitches in to remind the community not to dump waste down the storm drains
With supplies from the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, which provides education about city water run-off and tools for communities who want to curb their environmental impact, Quest and the Green Team hit the streets.
Whether painting, discussing the effects of pollutants with passersby, or looking on the map to plot where to go next, they gained a hands-on understanding of how the city’s water connects with waterways around the world, while having a lot of fun.
The collaboration is likely to continue through summer 2010, as both groups hope to stencil every storm drain in Charlestown.
Want to know what others at the Extension School are doing for the community?
- Students launch food and clothing drive
- Check out the story of a management class’ donation to School on Wheels
- See how faculty members are working to understand the impact of childhood adversity