Area school mixes learning and community service at the beach

Recently, Hershorin Schiff Community Day School students in grades K-8 - along with teachers and parent chaperones - spent a brisk, sunny morning at the beach. Over the course of the day, they mixed learning and community service and left the beach better than they found it.

Students moved through learning stations with topics including: "Understanding Our Tortoises and Sea Turtles," "Sand Investigations," "Erosion, Environmental Issues and Sea Debris," and "Why Worms?" They also looked for trash - finding cigarette butts, cans, various bits of plastics, and more - collecting it to be sorted by Sarasota County scientists, who analyze the trash and compile data to help us better understand how to keep it out of the sea as well as to document the positive impact of volunteer groups like the students from Community Day.

The educational portions of the program were led by area experts including: Armando J. Ubeda, the Florida Sea Grant agent with UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County; Wendy Ann Chipman, Recreation Specialist, Sarasota County; Randall Penn, waste reduction agent, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County; and Kathi Rader-Gibson, a parks naturalist for Sarasota County.

The children learned and worked in teams. The events of the morning showcased the benefits and effectiveness of Project-Based Learning - which is at the heart of Community Day School's educational philosophy - a dynamic teaching method where children actively explore real-world problems and work collaboratively in the search for solutions.

“We are working to create global citizens who are problem-solvers, who can work cooperatively, and who are committed to improving the world," said Community Day head of school Dan Ceaser. "Instead of limiting learning to textbooks, Community Day teaches students – through doing – to lead as citizens, stewards and scholars. We are particularly grateful to the local science experts who donated their time to help our students better understand issues that are relevant to Sarasota as a waterfront community and gain an awareness of the man-made challenges facing the creatures we share the beach and water with."

For more about Community Day School, go to CommunityDay.org or call (941) 552-2770.

PHOTO IDs:
The entire upper school of Community Day, along with teachers and parent chaperones, spent a recent morning at Siesta Key public beach for learning and community service
Alessia Zampol shows how much trash she found on the beach during the clean-up session
Milan Cantero, Meyer Volpert, Benjamin Lalo and Sebastian Gammichia study worms at one of the learning stations
Photos by Wordslinger Marketing & PR

About Hershorin Schiff Community Day School
The mission of the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School, which serves students in preschool through eighth grade, is to impact the world by creating a community where children of all faiths demonstrate integrity, academic excellence, and a desire to improve the world. Community Day offers a rigorous, project-based academic program in a diverse and vibrant learning environment rooted in the Jewish values of honesty, integrity, mutual trust and respect. For more information, visit the website at communityday.org or call (941) 552-2770.