YoArt Returns to the
Heron Park Nature Center
Notes provided by Patricia Frisch
Photographs by Adam Chandler
I
n November of 2015 Gene Furchgott, founder and director of YoArt,
a Charleston program focused on bringing technology-driven arts to
Title I public schools, led a group of fifth graders armed with iPads and
enormous energy to the Heron Park Nature Center.
This excursion was part of a program sponsored by Kiawah Cares at Angel Oak
Elementary School and was a repeat of a visit he conducted in 2014. More than 70
students spent the morning on the Island and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park
before returning to school. They prepared for their visit in their classrooms prior
to the trip, learning to use their iPads and studying about the natural world they
would explore on Kiawah.
Following their visit, they will develop Keynote presentations about their
discoveries under the direction of Gene, their teachers, and Adam Chandler, a
talented professional photographer who assists them.
At the Nature Center the students participated actively as Jake Zadik and Anna
Kimelblatt, two of the Center’s naturalists, presented a program on reptiles and
their habitats. The students were especially interested in the relationship between
alligators and humans, wondering if alligators are dangerous. Jake assured them
that humans are not a preferred prey for alligators, who focus on much easier to
catch meals. However, he noted that humans should proceed cautiously around
these animals and give them a wide, respectful berth.
While one group observed and interacted with the reptiles, a second group
had the opportunity to walk throughout the area accompanied by members of
the Kiawah Island Photography Club. They enjoyed a chance to photograph both
the beach and the park areas. They returned to their classrooms armed with
many photographs and a better understanding of their subject matter, ready to
incorporate their experiences into visual presentations. NK
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Naturally Kiawah