Environmental Science now offered at PCA

PCA added Environmental Science and AP Environmental Science to its curriculum this year. Mrs. Allison Pollak and Mrs. Angie Whiten, the two environmental science teachers, have devised a brilliant new plan for the Outdoor Garden which sits near the high school building.

In Environmental Science, it is important to learn how the world changes around us. The slightly overgrown garden and wooded area is an ideal spot to watch this part of the world change during the various seasons, and it is also perfect for watching plant succession, how plants affect the areas around them. The two teachers hope that they can also collaborate with the Landscaping class to help care for the various gardens so that all the PCA students may enjoy the beauty of the outside world.

Mrs. Pollak and Mrs. Whiten also have larger plans for the school to be greener and to recycle more. To start this chain of events, they with Mrs. Porter, the home economics teacher, have designed a compost site on school grounds with the assistance of Wes Purcell and Jake Woolard, two AP students. They plan to collect food and paper waste to make the compost for the Environmental Science students to observe and to learn how various waste materials decompose over time, and perhaps what types of waste decomposes faster than other types of waste. The Landscaping class will also be able to provide grass or bush clippings from the school campus for the compost site.

These teachers have come together to develop extraordinary new plans to help provide practical examples of how the environment works.

By Miranda DeLoach