Rogers Students to Explore Ballard Park

As the school year rolls into spring time and sunshine, Rogers High School students are being given the opportunity to explore the natural beauty of Ballard Park. Thanks to the expertise of Friends of Ballard Park members and a local geologist, freshman science classes at Rogers High School are receiving a thorough lesson in the geological history of Ballard Park. This trip helps prepare the students for the unit they are beginning about Earth's geological history, while giving them a strong background of the changes that have shaped the land right in our neighborhood.

Rogers’s science teacher, Beth Copeley, coordinated the trips with the Friends of Ballard Park thanks to a grant from the Newport Education Foundation. The trip is a way to boost community knowledge of the park as an educational resource. Friends of Ballard Park have been servicing Newport schools as a local non-profit organization that educates people about the park and hosts many events such as the Pumpkin Walk and the Illuminated Gardens. This is the first year that an official program has been coordinated at the high school level, even though Friends of Ballard Park does many programs within the elementary schools. As the years go on, it is hoped that the relationship with Friends of Ballard Park and the high school will further develop into programs that can help students get community service hours and possibly even catalog some of the nature that is housed within the park.