Grasses In Classes

By Dave Coskey

One of Avalon Elementary School’s most meaningful hands-on educational traditions begins each winter with a wheelbarrow full of sand, a stack of clear plastic cups, and a bundle of American dune grass seedlings.

Each December, members of the Avalon Environmental Commission visit Catherine Krause’s science classes to launch the annual “Grasses in Classes” program. Led by Commission member Claire Driscoll, a former high school science teacher, students learn firsthand how dune grass plays a critical role in protecting the beaches and dunes of Seven Mile Beach.

Every child plants a dune grass seedling in a clear cup filled with sand, allowing students to observe root growth throughout the winter months. Fellow Commission member Donna Rothman joins Driscoll in teaching students about the importance of healthy dunes and how the grasses help stabilize the coastline against storms and erosion.

The students care for their plants all winter long, with help from the Avalon Free Public Library staff during the Christmas break, while Krause continues reinforcing the environmental lessons in the classroom.

Then, on April 2, the project culminates with a trip to the beach, where students — including Pre-K classes mentored by Avalon’s 7th and 8th graders — transplant their dune grass into the borough’s dunes.

Along the way, they learn that each plant’s root system can eventually stretch as deep as ten feet, helping to anchor the dunes and protect the island from coastal storms.

The program, developed by the Avalon Environmental Commission, not only gives students a memorable hands-on science experience, but also helps strengthen and preserve Avalon’s beaches for future generations.