White Oak Nature Center Project

As scores across the state of Texas stagnate or even fall in the area of science testing, it becomes more apparent that we step up our ability to offer our students more hands-on learning activities. Problem-based learning at its best can take place in nature. While we have the opportunity to travel with our students to the Nature Center provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife and East Texas Woods and Waters Foundation, it can be expensive and time consuming. With travel times of about an hour each way, students were missing out on valuable learning time. Also, the travel eliminated many grade levels from participating due to age or UIL scheduling.

Several White Oak ISD staff members had mentioned finding a way to utilize our own property to accomplish some of the same tasks, enabling our youngest students the opportunity to finally have hands-on science labs in nature as well as more repetitive trips for science labs out of doors for all ages. White Oak ISD owns a parcel of land behind the elementary school that is rough but usable. Thus, the idea for the White Oak ISD Nature Center Project was born.

This page will be used to document the process and progress of the creation of the White Oak ISD Nature Center.

1-8-08 - Administrative meeting to discuss interest, ideas, early stages of planning
1-10-08 - Administrator walk through of proposed property behind elementary school to determine usefulness; Meeting to be held with a representative from the Natural Resource Service Center (Robbie ). Rough sketch of property with proposed ecosystems will be drawn from this outing.
2-08 - Met with Natural Resources Consvertaion System; recommended meetings with Texas Forestry Service, Agricultural Cooperative Agent, and survey crew.
3-08 - Contacted survey comany to preview property
5-08 - Survey underway; upon completion contact oil and gas companies to get pipe line survey
6-08 - Meet with NSRC, TFS, Ag Coop, and staff to determine next cours of action