If the salmon were placed on the list, the entire community would be affected. Building and zoning laws, for example, would have to be changed to protect salmon spawning beds, she points out. Based on the work of their teachers, students at Komachin now participate in a yearlong project, during which they learn about the indicators of sustainability in their community through different subjects. For example, in science, students visit three local ecosystems to test water quality, observe and sketch native species, and record human influences. In language arts, they study literature of social harmony, and they investigate how basic needs are met and how the public participates.
Students calculate their family's personal water usage in math class.
And they choose and participate in a service project, such as putting gravel in a creek bed to improve a spawning bed for salmon. The project culminates in a performance assessment that showcases student work in the content areas and includes the students' recommendations for future activities in the community. But this year educators in the state have high-stakes testing to consider. Like other schools in Washington, the staff at Komachin is focused on state essential learning tests, which will begin this spring for students in grades 8 and 10. The environment can affect us in terms of health, loss of aesthetic, and economics, Wilke notes.