Dawson Reopens School Nature Trail
Over 100 staff members, parents and students spent the last Saturday in April completing work on the Dawson School Nature Trail. The Nature Trail was created in 1999 by Boy Scouts working on an Eagle Scout Badge with the help of then fifth grade teacher Wayne Boisselle.The trail was unused during the time of renovations to Dawson when students temporarily moved to the former Chaffins School building.This year the Dawson School community organized to clear overgrown brush, extend the trail to Hawk Hill and lay down wood chips on the four foot wide path that runs through the trail.
The new trail has six distinct learning centers to study a variety of habitats: meadow, pond, deciduous, coniferous, mixed and marsh. Outdoor learning classrooms are planned for these areas which will enable all grade levels to engage in environmental education linked to the State Frameworks in science, math and social studies. Even as the work progressed on Saturday, volunteers were rewarded by spotting two different species of hawks that make their home in the trail area!
The school wishes to acknowledge the many School Community members who lent their assistance to make this project possible.Wayne Boisselle who is currently a model technology teacher for the WRSD created maps from blueprints that helped the trailblazing committee to map out the trail, mark it and extend it on to additional school property.Chairpersons Amy Brandes and Martha Waite organized refreshments and lunch for the volunteer workers.Parents and the Dawson PTA donated food and Bay State Bank provided coffee and donuts for the event. Stephanie Collins organized the preliminary trail clearing prior to the Saturday event and scheduled the volunteer workers. Barbara Keller organized the wood chip placement during the community work day. Mary Jane Pigsley represented the school at the Conservation Commission by assisting with correct measurement, terminology and official language. Many parents turned out on the workday with trucks, tractors and tools to make the project go smoothly. Linda Tella provided work gloves for volunteers to use. Ken O’Brien donated shingles for part of the trail that needed special marking to warn people away from poison ivy. Larry Galkowski worked with the Town of Holden to donate wood chips to supplement the chips made from cleared stumps and brush.
Mrs. Paul has already received a grant from the Holden White Oak Conservation Society in addition to funds from the Dawson PTA to purchase field guides and other resource books on plants and trees, binoculars, clip boards and thermometers for students to use as they study the trail habitats Linda Teller and her daughter Jennifer, a former Dawson student, is in charge of making benches for the outdoor classroom space. They are currently seeking donations for materials.
The school plans to initiate a Phase Two for the project in the fall to get grant money to create a boardwalk, a pier over the pond and signage to identify plants and trees.
In addition to those already listed, Dawson School wishes to acknowledge the following students, families and others who assisted with this and who have come to be known as “The Friends of the Dawson Nature Trail”: Katie Anderson & Family, Alexa Akers & Family, Gerrie Bak & Family, Andrea Bates & Family, Sean Michael Biller & Family, Gianna Bizzaro & Family, Kim Boltruczyk, Cindy Boyan, Katie Collins & Family, Phil
Connor, Brian Cusack & Family, Brianna Corcoran & Family, Chris Daley, Barbara Diamond, Danielle Dufault & Family, Catherine Dwelly & Family, Alex Engdahl & Family, Hannah Evangelidis & Family, Matt Kelly & Family, Caroline Kelleher & Family, Olivia Knox & Family, Gaye Koury, Lana LeBlanc, David Leather & Family, Nancy Laptewicz, Connor McDavitt & Family, Brendan McManus & Family, Tom Noonan, Jonathan O’Brien & Family, Nancy Paul, Heather Paulson, Amanda Paskovitz & Family, Zachary Paquette & Family, Lea Robichard & Family, Bobby Sendrowski & Family, Dominic Shippole & Family,
Aidan Slaten & Family, Tong Ya Smith & Family, Nancy Stangle, Connor Stark & Family, MacKenzie Sutter & Family, Chris Tella & Family, Sarah Tremblay & Family and Andrew Waite & Family.