FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2008

Fifth and sixth-grade students from Jefferson Elementary School attended a 2-day, overnight environmental education program from November 3 to November 4 offered by the Appalachian Mountain Club’s “Community Partnerships for Youth” outreach program. The experience, called “A Mountain Classroom” was held at the AMC Highland Center in the heart of Crawford Notch.

Through investigative, outdoor activities, students learned first-hand about natural science topics they are studying as part of their school curriculum. Together with their teacher, Chris Dupont, and Appalachian Mountain Club instructors, students explored the forests, applying lessons learned in the classroom to real-life discoveries in the outdoors. The group also progressed through a series of team building and challenge activities.

The students’ days were filled with both team-building and natural history-based activities covering the topics of local animals, plants, and geology. The students ventured to various destinations in Crawford Notch, including Elephant Head and Mount Willard.

“In ‘A Mountain Classroom,’ students immerse themselves in the natural world, where learning is an active endeavor involving the mind, body, and spirit,” explains Education Programs Coordinator, Emily Mitchell. “We promote increased understanding and appreciation for nature by studying geology on mountainsides overlooking glacial cirques, learning about forest ecology while hiking among the trees, and learning about the importance of watersheds by exploring the flora and fauna in mountain streams.”

Founded in 1876, the non-profit Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the United States. With nearly 90,000 members, the AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region.

The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.

More information on AMC is available at www.outdoors.org.