Peachtree Elementary Students Explore Conservation Through the Life and Work of Dr. Meg Lowman
Fifth-grade students bring their research on Dr. Meg Lowman to life during Peachtree Elementary’s Wax Museum project.
What happens when young students discover the story of a scientist who has spent her life exploring and protecting the world’s forests?
For two fifth-grade students at Peachtree Elementary School, that discovery became an opportunity to step into the shoes of TREE Foundation CEO and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Meg Lowman, better known as “CanopyMeg.”
As part of their fifth-grade Wax Museum project, students researched important people who have helped shape society. Their choices ranged from historical figures and presidents to inventors, athletes, authors, and others who have made an impact on society and the environment.
Students Malaika and Yeva chose Meg Lowman.
Each student researched Meg’s life and wrote a first-person monologue to present as CanopyMeg. Their projects explored her childhood fascination with trees, animals, and insects; her determination to pursue science; her education and rainforest research; and her work helping people experience and understand forest canopies around the world.
One part of Meg’s story particularly stood out in the students’ research: as a young woman pursuing science, Meg was the only girl in a science club filled with hundreds of boys. Yeva reflected on that determination in her monologue, writing that being the only girl didn’t matter because science was what she wanted to do.
A student shares the Wax Museum presentation on Meg Lowman with Superintendent Dr. Gresham.
The students didn’t stop at writing about Meg. They brought their research to life for their school community through the Wax Museum, complete with costumes, displays, and presentations. One student even had the opportunity to share her presentation on Meg with Superintendent Dr. Gresham.
The project fits into a larger commitment to conservation at Peachtree Elementary. As an International Baccalaureate School, students are encouraged not only to learn about the world around them, but also to take action. According to teacher Yolanda Sato, Peachtree students have worked to raise environmental conservation awareness throughout their community. During the past school year, the school also became the first elementary school in its county to qualify as an Ocean Guardian School through NOAA and the Georgia Aquarium.
Seeing young people learn about forests, conservation, and the people working to protect our planet is a wonderful reminder that inspiration can travel from the treetops all the way into the classroom.
We can’t wait to see what students do with CanopyMeg next!
