ADF&G grant helps students give back to other students

The skeletal reconstruction project at Burchell High School is one of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game projects going on in classrooms around Alaska -- and one of the biggest.

Science teacher Tim Lundt got the project going by securing a $13,000 grant from ADF&G. Wildlife Education Coordinator Robin Dublin said the application for the grant really stood out among the others -- and there were plenty from which to pick.

"Three years ago we were able to give money to educational projects, and there was a giant stack of applications, from which we selected only four projects," Dublin said. "It was an extremely competitive process. Two projects -- this one, and a project at the Eagle River Nature Center -- really stood out because of the learning possibilities that keep on giving."

Dublin said Lundt's project was chosen because it has the potential to reach a lot of students in many different schools, because the skeletal kits will be able to be checked out from ADF&G.

"It's something we can't do ourselves because of our staff limitations, but through the grant, we can reach a lot more kids and classrooms," Dublin said. "We were looking for projects that will reach out, even after the initial project is done."

At the Eagle River Nature Center, an indoor/outdoor classroom is being built through the same grant. The other two projects are "viewing" projects, Dublin said, including a whale-viewing platform with educational information in Petersburg.

Large projects such as the skeletal reconstruction project are part of Lundt's teaching philosophy.

He secured grant money to build the Stargate Observatory, one of the largest school observatories in the country.

His students relish the chance to learn through hands-on projects -- made possible by applying for grants.

"By getting all the grants he does, it allows him to do so much more than he could do for us with just the district funding," said student Corrie Brotherwood. "As students, I think we learn a lot more through projects like this, and it wouldn't have been possible if Tim didn't get a grant to do it."