History, political science, biology, geography, art, music – a year long exploration of the Hudson River that extended to nearly every area of the school curriculum for Donna Nageli’s fourth grade classroom at Sophie Finn Elementary School culminated in a congratulatory letter from former Vice President Al Gore when students returned to school in September. Last year, students sent the former Vice President a book they authored on environmental research inspired by his Academy Award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, which also included the student’s original research from throughout the school year.

“As more and more people recognize the truth of our circumstances, I am confident that we will rise to meet this challenge together. Young people like yourselves will play the most important role, so I hope after seeing this film you will learn as much as you can about the climate crisis and then turn that knowledge into action. I look forward to your continued efforts and congratulations on all your accomplishments,” states the former Vice President in a letter to Ms. Nageli’s fourth grade classroom.

Funded in part by a grant from Teaching the Hudson Valley, a Hudson River Valley Education Initiative, the fourth grade project began as an exploration of historical and environmental issues surrounding the Hudson Valley and expanded to a global perspective on environment, politics, and activism.

One of the first steps of the project was hands-on learning, as the students embarked on a field trip on the Clearwater Sloop and conducted water studies on the Hudson River to examine the fragility of the environment. “We learned about macro invertebrates (insects) and how pollution affects them through water quality studies. Students also learned how some species, like eels, are resistant to pollution, and others, such as trout, are not,” Ms. Nageli says. The Clearwater’s interactive programs helped make students part of the lesson, by allowing students to reinforce classroom lessons through tactile experience.

Ms. Nageli, a life-long area resident, was able to tell students many stories, including ones about the condition of the Hudson River in the late 1960’s, when she witnessed first-hand the damaging pollution that had plagued the Hudson River. In class, students also sang two popular songs about environmental awareness of the time.

After researching how pollution affects local animals, scenes from An Inconvenient Truth captivated students, who then explored how polar bears have drowned in increasing numbers due to melting ice floes (from higher ocean temperatures) which force bears to swim up to 60 miles across open sea to find food. “The students were fascinated with the plight of the polar bears,” Ms. Nageli recalls. The year ended with a field trip hosted by the Kingston Rotary Club at the Kingston Point Park, where Rotarians illuminated for students how the park was a spot of inspiration for romantic landscape painters considered part of the Hudson River School of Art. The school helped America reframe its perception of nature, helping to set the stage for modern environmental thought.

“The project continually grew throughout the year. It was great to see the students engaged and excited,” Ms. Nageli says. “It was rewarding to present the students with a letter from former Vice President Al Gore. What a great start to fifth grade!”