Creating a New Path (A Learn and Serve America Subgrantee)

Students from CASMAN Alternative Academy in Manistee , Michigan recognized a need for a better place to walk dogs instead of down a dirt road. Partnering with their local Humane Society, the students set about creating a pleasant walking and training environment for dogs and volunteers at the Homeward Bound Animal Shelter.

Students cleared and laid a quarter mile path on the Humane Society property. Guest speaker, Brian Belt, from the Forestry Department shared with students how to plan and build a trail. Students measured the property and created scale drawings for laying out the trail, contacted volunteers to help clear the path and donate wood chips, and finally, cleared, marked, and measured the trail. They also developed plans for future trail loops.

By creating a more attractive walking environment, the Humane Society hopes to draw in more volunteers, and have a place available for the community to use for walking dogs.

The math connection…in class, students learned about finding volume of geometric shapes, and applied this knowledge to calculate the amount of wood chips needed for the trail. Students practiced taking measurements and converting between different measures. Using ratios and proportions students found the length of the trail and created scale drawings. Study of the coordinate plane was applied to marking the location of benches, bridges, and natural features found on the property at the Humane Society Classroom lessons involved the study of exponential functions that were applied to the study of animal population growth. Students had to budget for materials.

This year, students will tackle the next loop, building a bridge, benches, birdhouses, and marking the trail with signs. Students will make more accurate maps using GPS units. A dog agility course will also be studied to be a possible addition at the start of the trail system. Math will team with science to create a nature guide to be used along the trail. Science students will identify plants, animals, and insects that could be found on the property. Language Arts will help create an informational pamphlet, which will be filled with information found during science class. A new website will document the service-learning progress of CASMAN students, promote the use of the trail, educate the community about animal care, and attract volunteers to the Humane Society.

This is but one example of the 3639 hours of service-learning CASMAN students participated in last year. This commitment to community involvement and development engaged all 100 students in this exemplary school, as well as 10 teachers and 38 volunteers. CASMAN's service-learning programs were funded by the Michigan Community Service Commission's Learn and Serve – Michigan program. The school was awarded a $15,000 Learn and Serve – Michigan school-based grant for the 2006-07 school year.

For more information about service-learning CASMAN Alternative Academy contact Matt Somsel , 225 Ninth Street , Manistee, Michigan 49660 at (231) 723-4981, or at msomsel@manistee.org.