BY BILL PARRY
For nearly two decades
the Newtown Creek Al-liance
has served as the
voice of the estuary along
the Queens and Brooklyn
border that is one of the
most polluted waterways in the nation.
Now, in a partnership with the Hunt-ers
Point Parks Conservancy, the two
nonprofit organizations will turn New-town
Creek into a classroom for urban
ecology with educational programs for
Long Island City schools.
“We are very excited to be able to
expand our educational programming and
help foster the knowledge, awareness
and stewardship that will continue to
drive positive change for Newtown Creek
in the coming years,” Newtown Creek
Alliance Executive Director Willis Elkins
said. “We are thankful to the funders
and project partners for investing in our
shared vision of a waterway that serves
as a positive resource for those working,
living and learning near the creek.”
The curriculum is designed for el-ementary
and middle school students to
“bring the creek into the classroom and
the classroom out to the creek,” originally
with four units: flora and fauna; water
quality; soil quality; and watershed and
sewershed. The programs also have a
strong emphasis on field lessons and
place-based education.
“The Conservancy is thrilled to partner
with the Newtown Creek Alliance and
Long Island City schools on this impor-tant
project,” Hunters Point Conservancy
President Rob Basch said. “Part of our
mission is to educate the community
about environmental concerns on the
Hunters Point waterfront and this pro-gram
will help to achieve these goals.”
Starting this fall, teachers at Hunt-ers
Point Community Middle School
and P.S./I.S. 78 will be the first schools
24 SEPTEMBER 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
in Queens to integrate the Newtown
Creek Urban Ecology STEM curriculum
into their classrooms. Four teachers at
each school, from various grades and
subjects, will play an active role in the
program.
“Hunters Point Community Middle
School has been committed to engag-ing
students in real world learning since
it opened in 2013 along the banks of
the East River and Newtown Creek,”
Hunters Point Community Middle School
Founding Principal Sarah Goodman
said. “We are thrilled to partner with
the Newtown Creek Alliance and the
Hunters Point Parks Conservancy to
develop the skills and stewardship of
the next generation of leaders.”
Community News
TEACHING
URBAN
ECOLOGY
A partnership of environmental nonprofits launches
educational program with LIC schools
Photo by Mark Hallum
Newtown Creek, one of the nation's most polluted
waterways, will become a classroom in urban ecol-ogy
for two Long Island City schools this fall.
Students from Long Island City schools will learn to be
future stewards of Newtown Creek
Photo courtesy of NCA
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
