The Green Trailblazers Program

The Green Trailblazers Program is an environmental club that provides FSMA’s 7th and 8th graders with the opportunity to connect with nature and environmental issues through hands-on work, outdoor activities and learning sessions. The program was developed and implemented through a partnership between the University of Delaware Water Resources Center, Delaware Nature Society and FSMA. In it’s first year, seventeen youth were selected to participate, and activities were held one weekday each month.

To promote the nature-oriented aspect of the program the youth began each session by walking as a group from FSMA to the Delaware Nature Society’s DuPont Environmental Education Center (DEEC), approximately 2 miles. Once the youth arrived and refueled, the sessions varied each month. This year the youth activities included: seining and water quality testing on the Christina River; learning about watersheds and the benefits of infiltration and permeability; exploring the City’s southbridge wetlands and participating in a community clean up with the Mayor; attending and providing support at the City’s annual Earth Day event; and capping off the year kayaking on the Christina River. The overall goal of the program is to engage the youth in these types of activities and experiences with the natural landscapes and environmental topics so that ultimately, they leave the program with a greater appreciation for and understanding of the environment and potential academic and career opportunities for their future.

Fifteen students from First State Montessori Academy’s environmental club rolled up their sleeves for a wetlands cleanup in Wilmington!

-WITN22