The Rochester Council of Scientific Societies (RCSS) awarded Churchville Elementary School’s Sprucewood Nature Center a $250 mini-grant. The funds will be used to purchase new, park-quality interpretive signs that will enhance hiker awareness of the interesting and unique features of each Sprucewood nature trail.
The mini-grant was the result of a proposal submitted by Churchville Elementary fourth-grade science teacher James Reeverts. Reeverts, along with music teacher Lori Osgood, helps manage Sprucewood, which is used year-round as an educational resource by the school. The center includes several outdoor classrooms, a sheltered pavilion and an observation deck on Black Creek. The Sprucewood Nature Club, a group open to CES fourth-graders, meets on the trails afterschool. Its enthusiastic members have many favorite outdoor activities there: “Snowshoeing and sledding!” “Hiking and fishing!” “Kayaking!” “Building pine cone bird feeders!” “Making fairy shelters!”
Reeverts is bringing many new ideas to Sprucewood this year. Last summer he participated in the National Parks Service Teacher Ranger Teacher (TRT) program at Acadia National Park. “I was able to work on park education projects and learned about public interpretive programs, trail construction, community outreach and volunteer projects – all knowledge we can use here,” he said.
Sprucewood Nature Center was established in 1983. It is 13 acres of woods and trails just north of Churchville Elementary School and is open to the community. “We encourage people to enjoy the space; to hike or picnic on the grounds,” said Reeverts. “We’ll be having a Community Trail Day in May, devoted to clearing brush and invasive species, and mulching the trails. It will be a fun time for our club members and for all our neighbors.” The Nature Center depends on fundraisers and help from the community. “We are so grateful for all the work done by the Friends of Sprucewood group, our local Lions Club, and our Boy Scouts.”
RCSS mini-grants are given to support educational initiatives that provide enrichment and extend existing science and math programs. Proposals are accepted from teachers in all eleven counties surrounding Rochester: Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.
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