GIS Day 2007 at
Sage Community School
Chiloquin, Oregon, USA
In partnership with the National Park Service, Sage Community School celebrated its first GIS day this year. Chris Wayne, GIS Specialist from Crater Lake National Park, gave a short presentation on mapping techniques and world demographics to the blended 5th + 6th grade class led by Ms. Marla Hanlon-Abeita. He made maps at various scales using ArcGIS explorer, then invited students to look at the patterns of land use, population and precipitation across the globe.
We then moved down in scale, finally arriving at the school grounds themselves. Students were challenged to find the school on three different types of maps: a USGS 1:24,000 topo, a DeLorme Oregon gazetteer and a 1:3600 scale orthophoto map using the 2005 1/2-meter NAIP imagery. All students successfully found their school, though some took longer than others.
Finally, we took some GPS units out onto the school grounds and made an attempt at mapping with them. The kids were near the end of the school day, however, and seemed more interested in playing with the 2-way radios on the Garmin Rinos and running around than actually mapping. Nevertheless, the event was a tremendous success, and furthered the mission of Sage Community School to focus on place-based education. Several more events are planned this year and into 2008.
Sage Community School was chartered in fall 2007 with a place-based learning model focusing on area natural resources, agriculture and Klamath Tribal culture. The curriculum will integrate core instruction with project-based instruction on a foundation of experiential learning and character education. Success will be evidenced by a high quality portfolio of place-based projects exemplifying his or her understanding of that relationship to family, community, country and the world. http://sagecommunityschool.org/
Crater Lake National Park lies about 20 miles north of Sage. Established in 1902, it is Oregon's first and largest National Park and the 6th oldest in the USA. A recently opened Science and Learning Center serves as a focal point for teaching and research in the park and the community at large. With a robust Natural Resources program, 183,000 acres of spectacular wilderness, and the deepest lake is the USA, Crater Lake provides exceptional learning and research opportunities for everyone. The GIS program seeks to be a regional leader in community outreach and education. http://www.nps.gov/crla
Contact Chris Wayne, GIS Specialist: chris_wayne@nps.gov. 541-594-3076.