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Health & Fitness

Lanier Middle School Students Learn About Life on Tangier Island

Students Use Skype to Speak with Commercial Waterman about Environment, Life on Island

Nearly 100 Lanier Middle School (LMS) 7th and 8th graders accessed another part of Virginia life in February as they used a very modern technology to speak with a resident of an island with deep roots to the past. Captain Charles Parks, a commercial waterman, used the Tangier Island elementary school computer to speak with the Fairfax students. The students asked the captain about life on Tangier Island with questions about the schools, way of life, commuting by boat and the melodic accent of the residents.

Tangier Island, located 12 miles into the Chesapeake Bay just south of the Maryland/Virginia line, was discovered by John Smith in the early 1600s. With a population of only about 400 residents, most people get around the three mile island by boat, bike or cart. The distinct culture is based in commercial fishing and crabbing. But the economy is in danger as the fishing populations are rapidly declining due to pollution and resultant erosion from the growing population surrounding the estuary.

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LMS principal Dr. Scott Poole visited Tangier Island in the summer of 2013 with Yannos Mizitzis, a science teacher from LMS, as guests of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The two met with Captain Charles Parks and spoke at length about life on the island and the impact of pollution on the environment. A history teacher at heart, Dr. Poole immediately realized the wealth of information Captain Parks would be to his students, especially the vibrant Eco-Club at LMS, and wanted the Captain to visit. While a trip to Northern Virginia could not be scheduled due to medical concerns for Parks, the school set up the next best thing - a video interview.

“During my experience as a teacher, I conducted an oral history project with students that brought the study of past people and events to life in a way that no textbook or article could," said Dr. Poole. "When I met Charles and heard some of his life story, I knew that our students could benefit from his tremendous knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay and unique life experience.  It was memorable dialogue that helped everyone involved develop a greater appreciation for different ways of life and how everyone lives downstream of someone else.”

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Three 8th grade students conducted an initial phone call with Captain Parks to get a history of the island and create a biography to teach their peers. The following week, almost 100 students conducted a video interview using Skype to ask questions about life on the island. The students asked questions about going to school on Tangier, commuting and working on a boat, how residents get their groceries, and the Captain entertained them with a local song. Perhaps the most valuable part of the call was the discussion about how decisions made by students in Northern Virginia impact the water in and around the island. After the interview with the large group, a smaller group of 15 students from the Eco-Club followed up with specific questions about the environmental issues surrounding Tangier Island.

"I think the students' greatest takeaway was that our actions here have a meaningful impact on communities that many of us know nothing about," said Yannos Misitzis, science teacher at Lanier Middle School. "Students are capable of having a positive impact on the entire watershed by engaging in conscientious decision-making such as water-conservation, buying local to prevent excessive fuel consumption in shipping and actively educating peers and the community about environmental concerns and considerations."

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