Debra Rosander’s 2014-2015 fourth-grade class at Ocean City Intermediate School (OCIS) can now say they are authors published by Disney! The students, who now are in fifth-grade, helped create an activity booklet entitled Plover Power! Piping Plover Activity Book, by the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWFNJ), Friends of the Environment for Piping Plover Conservation in the United States and The Bahamas, and Disney!
“We want our students to learn about the wildlife in their own backyards and how they can help sustain the ecosystem in Ocean City,” said Ocean City School District Superintendent Kathleen Taylor, Ed.D. “We are very grateful to the partnerships the Ocean City School District has made, which enable our students to partner with their peers in actively working on conversation.”
For the past two years, Rosander has led her students in conservation efforts to save the endangered Piping Plover, a small sand-colored bird that migrates from the United States and Canada towards sunnier climates, like that of The Bahamas, in the wintertime. Last year, Rosander and her class partnered with the Amy Roberts Primary School in The Bahamas to follow the Piping Plover’s journey and implement conservation efforts, such as posting permanent signs about their nesting on the beach, with the help of CWFNJ.
“The Ocean City students are very enthusiastic when we visit the classroom or go on a field trip and ask very incisive questions. Ocean City was the first district [to help us with our Piping Plovers] project here in New Jersey and has participated all three years, so we consider them our flagship school in the program,” said Todd Pover, CWFNJ Beach Nesting Bird Project Manager.
The two schools then designed and created the booklet, along with Leeds Avenue Elementary School in Pleasantville, complete with fun activities and educational information for students. It features drawings, tips on saving the Plover, and more from the OCIS class. It was published last fall and may be distributed by CWFNJ to other youth at events, festivals, and schools.
OCIS received 25 copies of the book, which were given to the students and staff involved in the project from CWFNJ; the students’ conservation work on the Piping Plovers is made possible through grants from the foundation.
“The students were really excited to get the books; they looked very professional and I was really pleased with how they turned out,” said Rosander. “And it was really exciting for the students to see the birds migrate. We saw adaptions occur in front of our eyes. Before visiting the beach, we talked about one adaption called ‘broken wing,’ and we saw that!”
Two years ago, OCIS students made and put up signs on Strathmere Beach to make the public aware of the nesting Piping Plovers. Students made artwork for the signs and were able to observe the birds’ nests. This year, two of Rosander’s classes will work on another informational project with CWFNJ, continuing to raise awareness about the plight of the Piping Plovers. Students will meet with scientists, complete a culminating project, and be tested on what they learned.
“The focus is on awareness,” said Rosander.
— News release from the Ocean City School District
