PLANET club

During the 2017-2018 academic year, I co-led an academic club at Washington Latin Public Charter School in Washington D.C. The students named the club “PLANET” – standing for Putting Letters, Art, and Numbers towards Earth’s Thriving. I teamed up with a professional artist, a humanities scholar, and other professionals to lead weekly workshops that integrated the arts, humanities, and environmental science through hands-on activities, reading, writing, and discussion.

Left, students observed species abundance and diversity in the school gardens. Middle, students practiced sketching objects from nature. Right, sample sketches by the students.

In May 2018, I organized and led a 3-day field trip for the students at the Virginia Coast Reserve, located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. We explored the marshes, beaches, and oyster reefs using a combination of scientific, artistic, and humanistic observations.

Left, students practiced drawing the marsh without using black or brown! Middle, students identified oyster reef-dwelling  organisms. Right, students explored the maritime forest in Kiptopeke State Park.

My hope is that the experience and knowledge that students gained from participating in PLANET will enrich their lives as budding scientists, artists, and humanists – and will help them to see the connections across these different disciplines.