Cherokee students become Smokies experts
Students at Cherokee Middle School have spent the last two years digging deep into the ecology, culture and history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through a partnership between the park and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians honoring the Park Service’s centennial.
Over the last two years, CMS’ Class of 2016 has participated in a diversity of curriculum-based educational experiences, including a hands-on water quality program, 11-mile bike ride through Cades Cove, a trip to Ninety Six National Historic Site in South Carolina and four-day trip to Cherokee cultural and historical sites through North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. At each Park Service site visited, the students got to stamp their NPS Passport books.
As the students enter high school this month, they’ll continue to partner with the park through field trips, in-class programs and citizen science projects through the Seeking Paths in Nature program, supported by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.
