Teachers and students that completed the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger program this summer.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK — Great Smoky Mountains National Park offered two unique summer programs engaging selected high school students and teachers as park rangers. The Teachers in Parks and the High School Student Intern programs are six-week paid work experiences where participants learn about the resources of the Park through on-site training exercises that enable them to perform ranger duties. Participants completed the programs just in time for the new school year to begin, allowing them to return to the classroom with a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from a summer working with rangers in a National Park.

“These programs are mutually beneficial,” said Susan Sachs, Education Coordinator for the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center located in the park. “The students and teachers get an in-depth study of resource education techniques, scientific methods, and field research to enhance their skills and talents, and, in turn, the Park creates advocates through better understanding of and appreciation for the Smokies. Teachers will bring the knowledge into their classrooms and the interns will share their education and experience with the local community through their friends and family.”

During their time in the park, teachers worked alongside park rangers in the field assisting with resource management activities and education programs. When not in the field, teachers were working with resource educators to develop elementary, middle, and high school curriculum for the popular Parks as Classrooms program.

In partnership with American Conservation Experience (ACE), student interns, from different local high schools within the surrounding counties and communities, assisted scientists and park staff with field research and education programs while exploring possible career opportunities. They were exposed to and gained knowledge about a variety of areas while working in the park, including wildlife biology, fisheries science, front and backcountry campground management, forest and stream ecology, preventative search and rescue, archaeology, appalachian history and park management.

The two successful programs were expanded this summer, thanks to a variety of public and private funding sources. Grants were received from Alcoa, Friends of the Smokies license plate funds, Community Foundation of Haywood County, Great Smoky Mountains Association and the federally-funded Youth Partnership Program (YPP). These funds supported five teachers and 24 high school students from Tennessee and North Carolina school systems.

The following high school students in Tennessee were selected for the program: Sterling Fisher and Paula Guenther, Gatlinburg-Pittman High School; Grace Keith, L&N Stem Academy; Abbot Drybread and Raven Askew, Cocke County High School; Rachel Long and Hunter Palmer, Central High School; Spencer Bailey, Seymour High School; Brandon Brombach, Cornerstone Academy; Ethan Carr, Sevier County High School

Teachers in Tennessee were selected for the program were: Debbie Kipp and Lisa Stone, Sevier County High School; Ashley Brooks, Dogwood Elementary.