This May, four Massachusetts Envirothon teams joined Harvard Forest’s Schoolyard Ecology Program, advancing their efforts of the 2025 Envirothon theme, Forest Stewardship, Resilience for a Changing Climate. Harvard Forest’s Manager of Youth Education Katharine Hinkle stepped up to support these schools, bringing classroom learning into an experiential research setting.
The teams, from various high schools across the state, each joined Harvard Forest’s Our Changing Forests program as part of their research and community action project, setting up new research plots with the support of the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). With a small grant and the support of Felicia Hubacz (DCR Forest Health Specialist), and Hannah Bergquist (DCR staff), the student groups were able to purchase materials to set up a permanent plot sites at their schools, collect field data, and enter it into the Schoolyard Database.
The team from Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester received the Mass Envirothon Community Engagement Award for their thorough and wide-ranging community investigation and contributions. “Their work exemplifies the integration of science and civic knowledge and skills and the building of community connections that are critical for addressing environmental issues in a democratic society,” says John Staley, Doherty Memorial High School Principal. A visit to the Harvard Forest in April prepared the students for this work, providing the opportunity to strengthen classroom learning by taking field measurements, observing experimental design, and advancing critical thinking skills.
In addition to the Doherty team, other schools that joined the Our Changing Forest project through this program were David Prouty High School (Spencer), Acton Boxborough High School, and Lexington High School.
