Students honored for guide to Cortez

Students honored for guide to Cortez

November 6, 2001

MANAUGH MONTESSORI teacher Julianne Martinez and some of the students that worked on an award-winning service-learning project show off a copy of Places to Go Around Cortez, a bilingual guide to area parks and cultural centers. The colorful booklet received top honors from the state’s Environmental Education Partnership program.

By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

¡Bienvenidos a Cortez! Welcome to Cortez!

The hard work and thoughtfulness that went into an elementary-school service-learning project have paid off.

Not only has a group of Manaugh Montessori children put together a guide to activities in the Cortez area, but they also created the booklet to be Spanish-speaker-friendly as well as environmentally conscious.

The colorful bilingual guide, Places to Go Around Cortez or Lugares Pueden ir Cerca Cortez, was created by 17 first- through third-graders. It received an award last weekend from the Environmental Education Partnership for the state’s best service-learning projects.

Teacher Julianne Martinez said the project was funded through the Service-Learning Initiative of Southwest Colorado and developed through student input, cooperation and creativity. The two-month undertaking resulted in a 36-page full-color guide to favorite parks and places as well as a life experience and learning process for the kids.

Although Martinez and the class were unable to attend the 2001 Environmental Education Partnership Awards Banquet last weekend at the Denver Zoo, they will be receiving a plaque in recognition of their work.

Martinez said members of the Colorado Department of Education visited her classroom last month to learn about the project and some of the children have independently given presentations of the booklet at area service-learning centers.

Leadership, stewardship, delegation, cooperation and participation were all integrated into the environmentally-oriented adventure.

"It was a real challenge to get organized," Martinez said. "They got to vote on what was going to be included but there were some places that were out of our proximity."

The students took part in every aspect of the project, including selecting the locations, taking the pictures, typing the narration and hand-painting the covers. The class produced 30 booklets in all in addition to a CD ROM version that has since been used by the Forest Service to produce another 60 copies.

The children traveled to sites including Sand Canyon, the Carpenter Natural Area, the Hawkins Reserve, Jackson Lake, the Anasazi Heritage Center, the Cortez Cultural Center and several area parks. The book gives readers directions to the selected locations, lore on specific landmarks, recommendations on things to bring and information about wheelchair accessibility and bathrooms.

The students also compiled a list of safety reminders about campfires, weather, water, wild animals, recreational equipment and poisonous plants. Advice on consideration for the environment was also given, with reminders to stay on trails, pick up trash and avoid disturbing natural habitats.

"We learned not to destroy things and treat everything with respect," said 8-year-old Eli Brock.

Eight-year-old Delaney Dillon said Sand Canyon was her favorite place to visit because of the ruins and numerous environmental lessons she learned.

"Whatever you bring in, you take out," Dillon explained. "You also don’t pick anything up like pottery or climb on the ruins — you leave it like it is or better."

Momo Hurley, 9, said the Cortez Cultural Center and Anasazi Heritage Center were also highlights in the project. "They’re a place we can learn about the Anasazis and people that lived here before us."

The bilingual aspect of the booklet was an idea that stemmed from two non-English-speaking peers who came to Manaugh last year, said 9-year-old Carrie Sharnhorst.

"We wanted to do it for people who only speak Spanish or are just learning English," she said.

Manaugh Principal Rob Lee became involved with the project, helping in the translation. Additionally, many citizens, city employees and public-lands workers contributed to the process.

Copies of the students’ book are available at the Cortez Library, Anasazi Heritage Center, and Cortez Visitors Center as well as some public-lands offices.

"This publication helps the San Jan National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management to better serve the Four Corners area by meeting two important needs: Bilingual information and children-centered information about our public lands," said Kristie Borchers of the Forest Service in a press release last week.