44 - CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, September 26 - October 2, 1997
SCHOOL & EDUCATION
Sussex Tech students work to help Inland Bays
mehti mm, t Otto
Pictured (l-r) are graduate Jason Baumgartner, sen/or Emi-
ly Gallagher and senior Maria Phillips. The three students
helped plant and tend a buffer strip designed to reduce pollu-
tion of Delaware's inland bays.
UI ,, Del Tech kick off 30th
anniversary celebration Oct. 3
free and open to the public, and
begin at 7 p.m. in Room 529 of the
William Carter Partnership Center
(formerly the Higher Education
Building) on Route 18 in George-
town, unless otherwise noted.
• "Celebrating the Past/Forging
the Future," Friday, Oct. 3. An
evening dedicated to the past, pre-
sent and future of the parallel pro-
Continued on page 45
The University of Delaware and
Delaware Technical & Communi-
ty College are celebrating the 30th
year of the Parallel Program, an
outreach partnership that has
helped thousands of Delawareans
get educations.
During the month of October,
there will be a series of activities
in Georgetown to honor this suc-
cessful partnership. All events are
By Michael Short
Sussex Technical High School
students hope the maple trees and
grasses they planted in the middle
of a driving snowstorm will help
protect the inland bays.
Students planted a buffer strip
last winter along a tiny tributary
near Fairmount with the help of
students from Wesley College.
Townsends Inc. donated a small
strip of its soybean field, swap-
ping soybeans for shrubs, in an
effort to protect the environment.
The idea, according to officials
at a Sept. 19 press conference, is
that the buffer helps protect the
headwaters of the inland bays.
Here's how they hope the system
will work.
The plants act as a sponge or a
filter between fields and streams,
holding nutrients in the soil and
preventing them from running into
the water.
Stopping nutrients and soil from
running off farm fields and into
streams should help make the
inland bays cleaner and clearer,
they say. "Buffer strips are
extremely important in reducing
nutrients," said Bruce Richards,
the executive director of the Cen-
ter for the Inland Bays (CIB).
The CIB provided a $5,000
grant to Terry Higgins of Wesley
College and Pearl Burbage of the
Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control to
conduct environmental education
and plant buffers. "It's like a great
big sponge to absorb whatever
leaves the field," Higgins said.
This buffer strip lies along
Route 5 nar Indian Mission
Church on a tributary so small that
it tends to dry up in the heat of
summer. It's a small buffer strip
dotted with maples, dogwoods and
knee-high grasses and no one
expects miracles, but they say it's
a start that is teaching students
about the environment.
Preliminary test results indicate
that the amount of nitrogen and
other nutrients entering the tribu-
tary have been reduced. But those
results arc preliminary and more
long-term testing is needed.
"[We need to] make certain the
next generation can learn from the
mistakes of the previous genera-
tion," said Rep. John Schroeder
(D-Lewes).
"It's good for the animal habi-
tat," said Sussex Tech student
Maria Phillips.
Dick Smith, farm manager of
Townsends Inc., said the company
was willing to lose part of its soy-
bean field if it would help the
environment. "It shows them we
want to help," Smith said. "I feel
like it is a learning experience for
the inland bays and also for farm-
ers."
"We need more farm managers
like this," Burbage said.
Del Tech joins space grant consortium
Delaware Technical & Commu-
nity College is the latest institu-
tion, and the first community col-
lege, to become a member of the
Delaware Space Grant College
Consortium (DESGC), according
to Norman Ness, president of the
Bartol Research Institute at the
University of Delaware.
Samuel A. Guccione, chairper-
son of electronics/computer engi-
neering technologies and physics
on the Del Tech Terry Campus, is
serving as the official liaison to
the consortium. He has been an
active supporter of the DESGC's
K-12 Outreach Program and the
Rockets for Schools Program.
Since 1989, the National Aero-
nautic and Space Administration
(NASA) has funded programs in
the 50 states, Washington, D.C.,
and Puerto Rico. DESGC was
established in 1991 to administer
the NASA Delaware Space Grant
Program. Its goal is to enhance the
future development of the nation
in space science and technology,
As the lead institution, the Bar-
tol Research Institute receives an
annual grant from NASA for pro-
grams supporting space research,
education, outreach, scholarships,
fellowships and special programs.
NASA support is matched by con-
tributions from members and affil-
iates.
"We were pleased that Del
Tech, which has an enrollment of
35,000 students on its four cam-
puses, responded in a timely way
to an invitation to join the
Delaware Space Grant Consor-
tium," Ness said. "This connection
between Delaware educational
institutions will be mutually bene-
ficial as Sam has already been
involved in our programs and has
helped promote space science edu-
cation."
"I am looking forward to work-
ing closely with the University of
Delaware and other schools
throughout the consortium. Mem-
bership will provide research
opportunities for our students and
opportunities to promote space
education throughout the schools
in the state," Guccione said.
Guccione has worked closely
with Stephanie Wright, the UD
alumna who is involved in the K-
12 Outreach Program, and the Sci-
ence Alliance, which promotes
science education in secondary
schools.
"Sam has been very helpful in
holding workshops for teachers at
Continued on page 45
Field trips can be an important aspect of your child's education
We live in a perfect place for
families. When a family goes to
the beach, the kids get to play in
the surf and parents can relax and
read on the beach.
The beach can be a family learn-
ing experience. It is the perfect
family field trip! It is both active
and passive. Conditions are ripe
for observation and discovery. It is
a complete and fascinating class-
room that any parent can share
with children no matter what the
season.
At Cape Henlopen State Park,
Herring Point overlook is a mag-
nificent area to show off the local
geography. Ships that take oil up
the Delaware River can be seen in
the distance. This is a terrific les-
son on economics, because the
ships deliver oil to the refineries in
Pennsylvania. Other cargo boats
SCH00L JOURNAL
Diane Albanese
pass through there daily.
The observation towers that dot
the shoreline in the state park pro-
vide a lesson in history. This area
had great importance during
World War II and was heavily
guarded. There are actual bunkers
still visible as you drive through
the park. Pick up a Cape Henlopen
State Park brochure at the Nature
Center to find out more specific
historical information.
Children enjoy running up to the
top of the observation tower. Have
them count the number of stairs
and the time it took to get to the
top. Teach them a math lesson by
using these figures to calculate a
ratio of stairs per minute. Estimate
distance to the sea, discuss weath-
er, and identify plants from the top
of the tower.
At the base of the tower, dark
pine needles and white sand pro-
vide a place for children to write
their names in huge letters. This is
nature's blackboard and an excel-
lent place for an artistic, large
motor activity.
i
In autumn, there is no lovelier
place than the pine trail at the state
park. Even if you are not a long-
distance hiker, you will enjoy the
well-marked trail through the
woods. It is fun to walk it identify-
ing animal tracks and habitats.
You can use a compass for orien-
tation, or have the children try to
figure out the best path.
If you have a short amount of
time, take the family for a walk on
the fishing pier. It stretches far out
into the Delaware Bay. Fishermen
are usually happy to showyou
their catch of the day. There is no
better view of the shoreline than
from the end of the pier.
During winter storms, the beach
changes faces. Much of the sand
shifts, eroding the beach and pro-
viding a geology lesson. The wind
and rain carve the beach up in
many different and fascinating
ways.
Comb the beach after a storm to
discover treasures of the deep.
Children love to collect seashells
and other things that wash up.
Tidal pools are good places to dis-
cover some small living creatures
that are vital to the ecology of this
area. Talk with them about how all
living things are interdependent.
This lesson transfers to everyday
family living.
Parents are the first teachers.
Enrich and extend book learning
with trips to natural areas. This
precious time that you are together
is well spent.
Diane Saienni Albanese is a
parent and educator in the Cape
Henlopen School District and at
Delaware Tech.
