STEM PROGRAM + Powerful Partnerships = Relevancy

Science, math and the arts enrich our lives every day, and the same holds true for history. Blending these foundational subjects creates a richer picture of the past. For decades, JYF has approached history education and the programs offered to general visitors and students alike with a multidisciplinary lens. This year, JYF deepens its commitment to multidisciplinary inquiry through a three-year partnership with the James River Association and York County Public Schools.

Last fall, York County Public Schools curriculum specialists approached JYF and James River Association about developing an educational experience together. This collaborative project provides students with an opportunity to visit Jamestown Settlement and the James River Association to explore the impact of people on their environment and the impact of the environment on people.

During the program at Jamestown Settlement, students explored the resources in Tidewater Virginia with a specific focus on the James River, oysters and sturgeon. Students learned how the salinity of the river changes throughout the year depending on weather and tidal patterns and the impact on the lives of people living along the James.

These conversations continued at the James River Association as they studied the impact of commercial farming on oysters and the oyster restoration programs, challenges for sturgeon spawning and what makes a wetland.

This partnership became so much more than just showing how history and science can be used together to understand the past. As students left at the end of the program, instructors heard them talking about the impact of pollution on the rivers and the importance of having access to fresh water. In the end, this was more than a history program. It was a call to action for environmental stewardship and the responsibility they have as community members to ensure these resources are accessible to everyone.

—Felicia Abrams, School Programs Manager

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“The collaboration between Jamestown Settlement, James River Association and York County School Division provided the opportunity for all fourthgrade students to engage in a hands-on, interdisciplinary experience that involved environmental resources used in the past and the connections to the environment today. One example was their investigation of oysters as a sustainable food source for early Jamestown settlers and how oysters provide water filtration to support the health of the James River watershed today.”

—Courtney Vega-Gonzalez, York County School Division Coordinator of Science

Support for programs and partnerships like these are made possible thanks to contributions by donors to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Annual Fund and restricted gifts for education. Visit jyfmuseums.org/support-jyf or contact Development at (757) 253-4139.