April 11, 2025
"This trip really does have lifelong impacts on our students."
Those were the words of J.E.J. Moore Middle School gifted resource teacher Mrs. Tonya Humphrey as she reflected on her most recent trip with over two dozen students to Smith Island on Virginia's eastern coast just before Spring Break on March 24-26 in partnership with The Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
SEE MORE PHOTOS: PGCPS on Flickr
The Smith Island field trip allows nearly 30 sixth graders the opportunity to spend three days surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay watershed, where they get to go hands-on with a variety of environmental concepts they've learned in the classroom as part of their Virginia Standards of Learning science objectives, including water quality testing and the watersheds of the commonwealth. In addition, the students are exposed to the culture of the Smith and Tangier island communities, offering a window into a way of life that may be quite different from their own experiences.
"They learn to make crab pots, and get to experience how we interact with the bay," Mrs. Humphrey explained. "What we take from the bay, what we get from the bay, the food, and the culture of the island. It is a unique culture on Tangier and Smith islands that our students get to experience, as well."
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During their time on the island, the Foundation asked the Moore Middle School delegation to host the only sixth grader living on the island with their group during this recent visit, creating further memories for the students alongside the practical, interactive learning experience during the March trip.
"He was able to do all of the activities with us, and our students are excited to do a video call with him soon to talk to him again after our trip," Mrs. Humphrey shared. "Our group has such a good relationship with the Foundation, and we appreciate being able to be part of that experience for all of the kids during this trip."
Spending two nights on the island, they were able to see and learn more about the waterman's community, sustainable harvesting, and how our actions impact the bay, the species who live within and along the watershed, and those who make their living from the water, like those living on Smith and Tangier islands. Along with beautiful waterside sunrises and sunsets, the students were able to see the bay first-hand during boat rides on the water, try slices of Maryland's official state dessert, Smith Island Cake, freshly made for them by baker Mary Ada Marshall, and get dirty through an up-close exploration of nearby marshland, where they discussed the essential role wetlands play as a habitat and a form of flood control for the nearby islands.
"I am a believer that you learn through experiences, and that is how you can make connections with the world around you through the rest of your life," Mrs. Humphrey, who has taken part in the Smith Island expedition with hundreds of students for nearly 20 years, said. "Sitting in a classroom discussing watersheds with my students is one thing, but being in the watershed, putting their hands on a crab pot, getting muddy in a marsh is a memorable experience they will carry with them throughout their life. They will be able to make those connections about why the watershed is important, why wetlands are important, and why we need to be good stewards of our environment."
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation hosts groups throughout the year thanks to their outdoor classrooms, day programs, and other educational experiences for both students and educators.
"The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is fantastic to work with," Mrs. Humphrey shared. "I have never met an educator through them who wasn't a fantastic educator for our students. When we're heading home, aside from talking about all of the fun they had, I'll ask them about things they had learned that they didn't know before we got there, and the kids will share so many good answers. Our kids really absorb a lot of the knowledge shared with them while they are there."
Alongside her teaching duties at Moore Middle School, Mrs. Humphrey also serves as a "Teacher Environmental Literacy Leader," or T.E.L.L., with the Foundation. This role allows her to help The Chesapeake Bay Foundation with teacher programs that enable local educators to take part in similar but more localized experiences as the students but focused in the Tri-Cities area, including the James River and the J.E.J. Moore nature trail. The goal of the program is to allow teachers who may not be able to take a trip to the islands to utilize the resources around them to give a more authentic experience beyond the classroom.
To learn more about The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, visit their website at https://www.cbf.org/. More photos from J.E.J. Moore Middle School's visit to Smith Island are available on the district's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/princegeorgeschools.