Valley View Students Put Learning to Good Use

When I visited just before the end of the school year, the chatter was a little different than what you might expect from 13-year-olds.

They weren’t talking about the previous night’s TV lineup or the relative coolness of anyone’s outfit. Instead, the discussions concerned impervious surfaces, the salinity of Nine Mile Creek and even why it’s important to pick up after your dog. 

While they discussed environmental responsibility, the students were busy getting their hands dirty in a new native plant garden at the school’s entrance, decorating rain barrels to collect water for the garden, painting a mural about Nine Mile Creek and working on a variety of other projects. All of the projects were designed to take what they had learned about human impact on their eco-system and do something to improve it.

Through an in-depth service learning program that began in February and was instigated by teachers Michelle Stein and Tim Ronhovde, Valley View partnered with nonprofit Eco Education on a student-led, environmentally-minded long-term project that involved research, discovery and real world action.

“I’ve seen a lot of excitement. It’s fun to see it spread literally all over the school grounds," Ronhovde said. "It’s good to see kids engaged.”

The first step was for the students to explore the ecosystem around their school, identifying problems and making plans for correction. In the chill of February, students walked the area surrounding the school and identified issues like overflowing storm drains, salt residue, litter and un-scooped dog waste. Then, they set about making plans to do something about it.  

Utilizing the available aid and information from partners like Eco Education and its Urban Stewards program, the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District and the DNR’s Adopt a River program, the students took what they learned—like the fact that Nine Mile Creek has been classified as impaired because of its salt level—and created service projects that would have positive effects. 

This was a huge effort, involving all 340 of the students in the seventh grade class at Valley View, and encompassing 24 projects related to the Minnesota State science standard of learning about human impact on the environment. Student action included everything from picking up litter on school grounds and putting up dog waste signs to making a presentation to Edina City Council.

The students were clearly energized by the projects which, with the support of educators and community partners, they designed and executed themselves. 

The program seems to have changed students’ perspectives as well. 

“You might think, 'Oh, it’s one little piece of trash,' but it really adds up,” said Anna, a student who worked with native plants for the garden.

“I’ll think twice about throwing something on the ground,” added Allie, another student gardener.

This marks the first year Edina has partnered with Eco Education, but there are indications it won’t be the last. Valley View plans to partner again next year and some interest has been expressed at as well.

“This is service learning at its best because it starts with the students and it’s totally student driven,” Randee Edmundson of Eco Education said. 

Julie Rogers Bascom, the service learning coordinator for Edina Public Schools, agreed, saying that was "absolutely" their goal. 

Bascom said the program at Valley View was a great way to engage students and let them discover they’re capable of making real changes in the environment and society. 

“Our job as educators is not just to impart knowledge but it’s to create citizens to be active and to care about their world,” Bascom said. 

Looks to me like these students are well on their way.