On Tuesday, April 27, 2010, twenty-one students and fourteen adults from the Communities In Schools (CIS) E-Mentoring Program at Haut Gap Middle School visited the Heron Park Nature Center on Kiawah Island. The students and mentors participated in guided bike tours on the beach, spent time learning about Kiawah Island wildlife from a naturalist at the Heron Park Nature Center, and ate lunch in the park. The day was organized by Robin Haggard, Communities In Schools Student Support Specialist and Kate Parks, a Project Manager with the Coastal Conservation League. Ms. Parks’ mother, Kathryn Parks, is a Kiawah Island resident and a mentor in the program.
The students filmed their trip and collected supporting materials so that they could create a presentation on their adventure for their classmates.
“I enjoyed riding a bike for the first time, learning about local animals from my mentor, and our delicious lunch,” said Andrea Poteat, an eighth grader at Haut Gap Middle School.
The Town of Kiawah Environmental Committee and the Kiawah Island Nature Program covered the cost of the activities and transportation for the students. Newton Farms donated lunch for the entire group.
The E-Mentoring program at Haut Gap matches adult mentors with students and asks for weekly correspondence via email. The students meet face-to-face with the mentors at the beginning and end of the year. In addition, mentors are encouraged to also act as tutors to their students or visit them during lunch hours.
Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area, Inc. is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. The overarching goal of CIS is that all students complete high school. CIS provides dropout prevention services in Charleston and Berkeley counties to 4,500 students and their families in nineteen public schools, including St. Johns High School, Haut Gap Middle School, Angel Oak Elementary and Frierson Elementary all of which are on Johns Island or Wadmalaw Island.
For more information about CIS, visit www.cischarleston.org
