Local
SoundWaters’ Cove Rangers honored by Stamford Board of Education
By SoundWaters
Mar 3, 2008 - 8:39:20 PM

Tuesday night, the Board of Education applauded a group of fourth-graders from KT Murphy Elementary School in Stamford for creating a bilingual book called “Hernan’s Long Journey: A Horseshoe Crab Story.” The students designed and wrote the story as part of a project with SoundWaters’ Cove Rangers, an after-school program that promotes science and conservation stewardship through a multi-cultural and multi-lingual approach.

Led by SoundWaters educators, the Cove Rangers brought to life the fictional journey of Hernan, a horseshoe crab from Cove Island Beach . The book featured side-by-side illustrations with content written in English and Spanish. A copy of “Hernan’s Long Journey” is now a part of the media center collection in every Stamford elementary school.

“KT Murphy is such a diverse school,” said Dione Clinkenbeard, Director of Camp Programs at SoundWaters. “We wanted to showcase that diversity in a fun and creative way that still supported and amplified the school’s curriculum. This book was a great vehicle for informing as many people as possible about a local species called the horseshoe crab, and ultimately spread the message of conservation.”

In 2007, the Cove Rangers studied the horseshoe crab, a key species in Long Island Sound. The students also explored the ecology of their neighborhood, Cove Island Park , and the estuary of Long Island Sound. Clinkenbeard developed the idea to have the Cove Rangers create a bilingual children’s book based on their focus of study.

Student authors and illustrators included Stephen Bermudez, Mateo Castro, Plenio Chavez, Mary Dzibela, Darien Fuentes, Rene Gaspar, Samantha Halm, Melanie Jaramillo, Giovanny Noel, Samantha Rocca, and Justin Evans Smith.

Clinkenbeard says the program succeeded due in part to the involvement of Anthony Ramos, the students’ learning and language advisor at Stamford Public Schools , and Michele Sabia of KT Murphy, for coordinating the Cove Rangers program. GE Money in Stamford donated the funds to have the book printed, facilitating its distribution to elementary school libraries throughout the city.

Founded in 1989, SoundWaters is the leading environmental educational organization on Long Island Sound. Its mission is to educate children and adults about the wonders and beauty of Long Island Sound and its watershed. Through education, SoundWaters provides people with an understanding and awareness of the changes they can make in their lives and communities to restore, protect, and preserve Long Island Sound and the environment. Programs take place at the Coastal Education Center in Cove Island Park in Stamford , Connecticut ; on SoundWaters, an 80’ three-masted schooner; at schools, community centers and field sites throughout the region.

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