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FIELD ECOLOGY GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL – Sixteen area students recently participated in the first session of the 31st annual Field Ecology Summer Regional Governor’s School hosted at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, June 15 – June 25. From left: Erin Walker, Central Academy Middle School; Marley Booth, Clifton Middle School; Maggie Thompson, CMS; Catherine Amos, CAMS; Sebastian Dawson, Alleghany High School; Gabbi Reed, Bath County High School; Gaige Kern, mentor-aide; Hez Alexander, AHS; Alexis Swoope, AHS; Kelly Rock, AHS; Ashley White, Covington High School; Margaret Donnan, AHS; Danielle Dulaney, assistant instructor; Melissa Howdershelt, CMS; Seth Fertig, CHS; Evan Rose, CHS; Elias Linsin, AHS; Gabrielle Frascati, Lylburn Downing Middle School.

DSLCC Hosts 31st Field Ecology Governor’s School

 
Clifton Forge, VA (July 28, 2015) - For the thirty-first year, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge hosted the Field Ecology Summer Regional Governor’s School from June 15 to July 9. Twenty-six students from ten middle and high schools in the DSLCC service area learned about ecology by studying nature outdoors rather than in the classroom. The students examined forests and wildlife throughout the highlands of Virginia and West Virginia.

The highlight of the first half of the program was a three-day primitive camping trip to the Laurel Fork region of Highland County, where the Governor’s School continued its long-term monitoring of the salamander population of the area. Students captured, identified, and released 295 salamanders during a day-long study at eight elevations.

In the second half of the program the Governor’s School investigated forest ecology, with a three-day camping trip to Greenbrier State Forest in West Virginia, and additional trips to Roaring Run in Botetourt County and the Cranberry Glades in West Virginia. The participants learned how to identify and measure trees to assess forest diversity and quality.

The program also included trips to Douthat State Park in Bath County; Gaudineer Knob in Randolph County, WV, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, WV.

During the four weeks of the Governor’s School, participants photographed, identified, and researched local flora and fauna to produce an electronic “field guide” for each of the two sessions.

Jane DeGroot, biology teacher at Alleghany High School, and Susan Rollinson, former chemistry and environmental science instructor at DSLCC, were the instructors. Danielle Dulaney, a 2008 graduate of Alleghany High School, is a biology teacher at Spotswood High School in Rockingham County and was assistant instructor for the Governor’s School. Gaige Kern, a 2015 graduate of Alleghany High School, who will be attending Virginia Tech this fall, was a mentor-aide for the course.

Students are invited to participate based on their interest, maturity, and potential for excelling in biology. To be considered, a first-time participant must be a rising 9th or 10th grade student in the DSLCC area. In early March science teachers, guidance counselors, and local gifted education teachers and administrators encourage qualified students to complete an application. Home-schooled and private-schooled students are welcome to apply. The Governor’s School is one of twenty Summer Regional Governor’s Schools sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education, local school divisions, and host schools, such as DSLCC.

Students attend free of charge and earn four college credits for each session attended.

The Governor’s School web site (www.fieldecology.org) has more information and many photos of this year’s activities.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the Governor’s School or provide input on future activities is invited to contact their local gifted program administrator or Jane DeGroot at Alleghany High School.
FIELD ECOLOGY GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL – Sixteen area students recently participated in the second session of the 31st annual Field Ecology Summer Regional Governor’s School hosted at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College June 29 - July 9. Pictured at Roaring Run in Botetourt County: (from left) Jonothan Ballard, Read Mountain Middle School; Elias Linsin, Alleghany High School; Tessa Bennett, Rockbridge County High School; Gabbi Reed, Bath County High School; Evan Rose, Covington High School; Dallan Givens, CHS; Seth Fertig, CHS; Gara McDaniel, CHS; Emma Butler, Central Academy Middle School; Catherine Amos, CAMS; Alexis Swoope, AHS; Brinsley Leadbetter, Lylburn Downing Middle School; Lindsey Brown, Clifton Middle School; Olivia Bryant, CMS; Emily Kearney, Highland High School; Jacob Mohr, Maury River Middle School.

 
 

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