Ecological Rhetoric: Part 2

This is part 2 in a series – get caught up with Part 1

In September, students from the Ecological Rhetoric class began working with Lost Corner Preserve in efforts to improve environmental issues in Sandy Springs. This partnership has provided MVPS students with rich, off-campus experiences. Initially, The students were challenged to identify environmental concerns, design potential solutions and implement change at the Preserve.

The students began by identifying environmental concerns and pitching possible projects to members of The Friends of Lost Corner – Alan Toney and Trisha Thompson Fox.  

They then received feedback on their projects, including:

1. A monarch butterfly hatchery, as well as a certified sanctuary
2. Gardens that will ultimately increase biodiversity within the preserve
3. An educational app for the Preserve
4. A partnership with homeowner associations in the North Springs area to raise more awareness about water health and the effects on neighboring areas.

As well as numerous podcasts:

Although this project initially began in the Ecological Rhetoric class, students have collaborated with the AP Environmental Science class and an MVPS coding club as well. The newly launched MVPS Girls Who Code Club has agreed to use the information and designs from the Ecological Rhetoric class to code the Lost Corner Preserve app. Students have also created podcasts to communicate their adventures and project work at Lost Corner Preserve.

From Student Nina T.

This past module in Ecological Rhetoric we began reflecting on the growth of our project and where to transition to prepare for the last few months. My group is working on improving the water quality of Lost Corner Preserve. One of the streams, Falling Branches Creek, is extremely polluted and has no macro-invertebrates. We’ve spent weeks doing water tests upstream and found that the E. coli levels are at dangerously high levels. Due to this, we’re making a podcast about our journey and the environmentalists in the Atlanta area we’ve met along the way. Our hope is to submit it to the NPR student contest. However, our overall goal is to partner with homeowner associations in the North Springs area to raise more awareness about water health and its effects on neighboring areas.