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The very first year of the magnet program, upperclassmen toured the recently built Ah-Tha-Thi-Ki Museum on the Snake Road off Alligator Alley. They also worked alongside members of the trip to remove exotic, invasive plants beside the mile-long nature walkway. When juniors in the Cambridge program, it had changed a lot.
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They returned in December to a refurbished walkway and added a wildlife study at the Billie Swamp Safari nature preserve. In addition to the ride where they saw, deer, black bears, an ostrich, water buffalo, bisons and many other animals, the enjoyed a holding skunks, alligators and feeding a deer.
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Students in Experimental Science, spent the day at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park on Fort Lauderdale Beach. They had the chance to collect and analyze water samples, identify flora and fauna of the park. help clean up the beach and explore the waterways by canoe.
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Students worked with personnel from YEA! (Youth Environmental Alliance as they studied the local environmental issues and used what the learned throughout their years in the magnet, especial the Small Craft Safety from their HOPE-Water Safety PE class as freshmen!
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Teachers continued to utilize longer classes due to block scheduling for on-school activities. Freshmen learned the basics of identifying native and invasive plants through the first event, Weedology, learning from personnel at the Youth Environmental Alliance or YEA!
After lectures about invasive plants and the opportunity to study samples close up, students |
took their learning to the South Plantation campus so they could remove the weeds.
Throughout the day, numerous classes with students in every grade worked to clear out the invasives starting around the magnet building. Later in the year more native plants will be added to the gardens that were begun in the previous two years. |
Bringing what is learned in the classroom to actual sites is part of the curriculum of Experimental Science 3 Honors classes.
The 3-part hands-on, place-based educational experience consists of two school-based experiences and one off-site field trip delivered by the Youth Environmental Alliance (YEA!). All programs tie directly to the curriculum and provide new and engaging ways to learn key content. School-based programs will be delivered on campus during normal instructional time. Cry of the Water In the fall, YEA! personnel provided an interactive classroom experience that engaged students to use Florida's ecosystems as case studies to facilitate their awareness and empower |
them to make conscious decisions about protecting the planet.
Site Visit: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park For the second step students spent all day in the field to learn more about local flora, fauna, and ecosystems; engage in sustainable fishing practices and take part in ecosystem restoration by enhancing habitats for pollinators. Think Globally, Act Locally Culminating the program students engaged in habitat stewardship on school grounds. After learning the principles of Florida-friendly landscaping, students identified an area on campus in need of remediation and transformed it into a “NatureScape” featuring native plants that are both wildlife and people friendly. |
Just as the weather began to turn colder in October, freshmen dove into the pool at Fort Lauderdale High's Aquatic Complex after a short bus ride.
First they had to show they knew how to swim, and then they had to swim a distance unaided, float on their back for a predetermined time and tread water for several minutes. After they proved their competence, they |
divided into teams and swam relay races. Then the all had the chance to go off the diving board.
Those who had difficulty swimming, were taught to swim by the coach and magnet coordinator - a certified swim instructor. Some student returned for addition lessons to make sure if they fell out of a canoe they could save themselves. No one complained about the cool weather because they stayed in the pool. |
Florida's rainy season created deep water for the freshmen as they traveled to Holiday Park to experience the Everglades up close and personal.
After a general orientation including a historical interactive presentation, the students broke into two groups: one went slogging and the other went a airboat ride and data collection. On the boat, they identified and counted |
wildlife including numerous birds. They they sampled and tested the quality of the water at three different locations miles apart.
When thye returned to the outdoor lab, the identified invertebrates found in the water they collected. The sloggers broke new ground in a deeper section of Holiday Park creating very wet students. |
Visiting History Miami Museum Freshmen in Honors English spent the day in Miami learning more about the history of South Florida. Special emphasis covered the Everglades and the influence of local Native Americans.
Students in Jessica Reeves' classes examined ancient bones, shards and relics from Florida's earliest inhabitants as part of the magnet English curriculum. |
Part of the Everglades Restoration curriculum covers how farming has affected the water in the Everglades.
After a year's absence, students returned to tour the Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) on US 27 as they observed the Best Management Practices (BMPs) of U.S. Sugar based in Clewiston. An informative tour of the STA managed by the South Florida Water Management District (not normally open to the public) gave them a first-hand look at how the pumps distributed the renewed sheet flow of water to the southern |
Everglades. SFWMD personnel explained what had to be in in the event of hurricane or drought conditions.
Students observed the return of wildlife to the area as the cleaner water flowed south. Then they boarded the bus and went to the sugar cane fields where they learned how the BMPs of U.S. Sugar have helped improve the water quality beyond what is prescribed by federal regulations. They sampled fresh-cut cane and toured the Clewiston museum before returning to school. |
As the King Tide raised the waters of South Florida, Juniors in Experimental Science 3 became extremely wet as they went fishing in the Intracoastal and restored the habitat of the land.
After they reviewed fishing regulations they learned as freshmen, they had a morning of successful catch-and-release fishing. Next they reviewed their lessons about the exotic plants that constantly try to take over the |
local landscape as well as the native vegetation including mangroves who help combat the rising tides.
After lunch and a nature walk, they spent the rest of the day removing the exotics and replacing them with native plants before returning home wet but satisfied. They worked alongside personnel from YEA!: Youth Environmental Alliance and teacher, Dr. Jody Berman. |
In the fall, freshmen completed a swimming assessment program at Fort Lauderdale High's aquatic complex. In May, they completed the second half of the magnet physical education (HOPE) class with small craft safety. Over three days, all the ninth graders went to Broward
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College's Tigertail Lake with Coach Kincaid and polished their canoeing skills from paddling to rescue.
All students needed to be prepared for the trips over the next three years in the Everlades' River of Grass. |
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For the first time in the 14 year history of the magnet program, all the students in the Research 3 and 4 classes toured Everglades National Park from the Flamingo entrance at Florida Bay to the main visitor's center on one trip.
As they made stops along the way to observe the different habitats and wildlife, they used their senses to explain what they learned about the park first hand instead of in textbooks. Students also needed to document their writing with photographs at each location and they used cameras as well as their phones to do so. The two busloads of students started at opposite ends of the park and ate lunch along the way. Before returning home they stopped at a popular stand to enjoy smoothies and milkshakes as well as tropical food. |
Just before the Thanksgiving break, the 160 magnet freshmen spent the day in the Everglades at Shark River Valley Slough. Three trips were needed for all the students to attend.
After watching the National Parks video on the bus, the students completed a worksheet covering the Bobcat Boardwalk and took the 17-mile tram ride. Students saw alligators of all sizes, Blue |
Herons, Tricolored Herons, Ibis, Anhingas, Red Shouldered Hawks, Turkey Vultures and other birds and reptiles.
Observations were the theme of the day. Instead of the traditional data-filled worksheet, students practiced their observation skills beginning on the bus ride and throughout Everglades National Park. |
On three different days in January 2015, students in the Research 3-4 classes including dual enrollment, helped Broward County Parks personnel remove non-native invasive plants from Miramar Pinelands.
The 157 acres of Miramar Pinelands encompasses a unique combination of wetlands, flatwoods, prairies and slash pine forests. The |
juniors learned more about native plants as they helped remove the most invasive species. This three-day clean up focused on reducing the number of Rosary Pea and Balsam Apple plants. Read the newspaper story:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/plantation/fl-cn-invasives-0208-20150205-story.html |
As part of the Honors Environmental Science curriculum, sophomores and juniors to see how Wheelabrator South Broward turns household waste into power. For 12 years, what the facility does has been an important part of the magnet program.
After a video, plant professionals showed the students the facility from the crane room to the control room while explaining safety features and career opportunities. |