Green in the Curriculum

Given the School’s tendency toward environmentalism in other areas of Cate life, it is no wonder that ecology and the study of human impact on the natural world is part of the classroom as well. Alumni of all generations recall an element of environmentalism in their science and history classes—a presence that has become sharpened in recent years.

“I remember teaching Chemistry in 1986, the year of the Chernobyl disaster. It was a wakeup call for me that everyone needs more education about environmental issues.” Cheryl Powers, former faculty member recalls exactly when her instruction on the ecology of the earth became much more than academic. While biology and chemistry courses in the 80s and 90s had a practical ecological component, including trips to waste treatment plants, oil refineries, and water treatment facilities, study of the environment and humanity’s role in its destruction and preservation emerged gradually.

AP Environmental Science was added to the slate of Science Department offerings in 1999. This course has grown in popularity and was recognized by the College Board in 2004 as “the best in the world” for schools of fewer than 500 students. Cate students have gone on to pursue Environmental Studies in college, and quite a few Cate alumni are actively working in professions that have to do with alternative energy sources, green construction, or environmental management. This year’s seniors are developing two separate environmental action plans— one for water conservation at Cate and one for energy conservation. These plans were presented to the school administration and the Board of Trustees, and submitted to the Lexus Environmental Challenge—a national competition for high school students. Both plans won first prize for the western region of the U.S. On a more local and personal note, last year the AP Environmental Science class developed a nature trail on the fire road that winds down from Mesa House to Cate Mesa Road.

By virtue of its location, Cate has been able to take great academic advantage of other abundant natural resources to educate its students about their place in and responsibility to the natural world. The School offers senior electives in oceanography and marine biology, allowing students to examine firsthand how global systems (e.g., tectonics, oceanic currents, prevailing weather patterns) impact and influence the world of living things in various marine systems. Marine Biology examines dominant marine communities from a broad ecological perspective, but always with an emphasis on local and global interdependence. As part of these classes, students visit local beaches, tidepools, and the Carpinteria Salt Marsh—ecosystems unique to our area. Students learn how even small changes in tides affect the tidepool ecosystems, how life changes drastically over just a few inches on the rocks in these tidal areas, and how temperature shifts might cause a population explosion in an invasive species while dramatically reducing the native species.

The Directed Studies and Science Research curriculum also offers students a chance to explore other areas of environmental science in detail. Recently, Jim Masker, Ned Bowler ’83 and student Tim Su organized a visit by the National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS) vegetable-oil-powered bus to raise awareness about alternative fuels. Prior to the visit, Tim had spent several weeks studying alternative fuels as part of a project for his Science Research class with teacher Cheryl Powers. The day before the bus arrived, Tim filtered the unwanted particles from oil gathered in the Cate kitchens using two different methods— water filtration combined with a micro filter and the micro filter alone—to make it clean enough to run the engine of the bus. He then explained to his schoolmates exactly how the process worked and how such alternative fuels could affect global ecology and economy.