OPINION/GUEST VIEW: Community came together to make learning fun at Thompson Middle School

It’s that time of year again … the time where hard-working teachers and students recharge their batteries before another September rolls around.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many local educational sponsors who truly enriched the experiences of the students in my fifth-grade classroom at Thompson Middle School this year.

First and foremost, I need to thank the educational team and administrators at Save the Bay. Whether we were planting dune grass at First Beach, trawling the waters of Narragansett Bay, or exploring the live organisms that live in our waters, we were having fun and learning so much. The Save the Bay team truly enriched the education of our students again this year.

Clean Ocean Access is another local organization that really goes above and beyond for Newport children. COA led us on several local excursions this year, teaching us about the skimmer at Perrotti Park and the many ways to access the bay along Washington Street.

Sail Newport … what an experience our students had sailing around Brenton Cove and Newport Harbor! Due to COVID, this particular group of students missed out on their entire year of sailing that is part of the grade four curriculum (Thanks to NPS teacher Donna Kelly!).

Sail Newport went out of their way to ensure that our students had an opportunity to sail, many of them for the first time ever! Kim Hapgood and crew worked tirelessly to squeeze our students in for a few sessions.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Center visited our classroom twice! The first time they taught us all how to RECYCLE RIGHT. So many people do not know the basic rules of recycling and it ends up costing Newport a lot of extra money each year, as well as contaminating the recycling process at RIRRC.

RIRRC returned to TMS later in the year to talk about the benefits of composting. The RI landfill is set to close in 2040 if we don’t find a way to REDUCE. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of trash that we throw out each day. Special shout out to our families who have already been composting, and to those who signed on just this year.

Team Fame, from the Tennis Hall of Fame, also joined the composting wave, after hearing convincing pleas from the students that they work with all year. Three cheers for composting!!!

We are so grateful to Jack Cohn and his annual volunteers from the Naval War College for the enrichment they provide to our high math achievers. Their weekly visits stimulate the thinking of our students who need a little something more added to their curriculum.

Donors Choose is an online program that allows teachers to write grants to request classroom supplies and materials for our students. Local donors who have contributed to my requests include Marcin Rembisz, Jane Regan, Jennifer Gee, and Esther Boucher. Also, a special shout out to Louisa Boatwright, as well as Pam and Jack Grant, for funding my projects multiple times.

TMS has a small, but very active, PTO. They work incredibly hard to raise money to support student activities. We appreciate all that they do for the students at TMS!

11th Hour Racing invited us to their educational program over at Fort Adams just before school let out. Another great outing for our students, an opportunity to see that by working together to educate others, we can make a difference for our oceans. Thanks to Daniela Burton and 11th Hour Racing!

I’d like to thank our D.A.R.E. officers, Nick St. Lawrence and April Amaral (filling in for Merrie Scott) for their work delivering their ten week program this year, and most especially for an awesome DARE DAY. Frank Newsome gathered Rogers High School junior scholar-athletes to run the field day stations. A-1 Pizza, O’Briens Pub, Dominos Pizza, Crystal Spring Water, and our own PTO all pitched in with donations to make this a fun-filled day for our fifth graders.

Lastly I’d like to acknowledge my clustermates, Steve Taylor and Lindsey Jastrzebski. Their flexibility and willingness to join in on all of our trips is what made everything possible!

Our fifth-graders have a lot of memories to take with them as they head home for summer vacation, thanks to our partners in education! Forever grateful for the opportunities they present us each year.

Melissa Turner is a fifth-grade science teacher at Thompson Middle School in Newport.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: OPINION/GUEST VIEW: Community came together to make learning fun