How New is Environmental Biology?

Environmental Biology has been present at Arrowhead for as long as the school itself has been around.

Twenty two years ago the class used to be called “Man and his Environment” but it was changed about twenty one years ago.

The framework of this class has been the same for 15 years and will stay the same as far as Jim Albers, an Environmental Biology teacher here at Arrowhead, is concerned.

Environmental Biology is the relationships between the three areas of our biosphere: earth, water, and gases.

This class is mostly concentrated on Wisconsin so students will learn local information.

This class is held every other day for two class periods.

The periods that this class is held are first and second and third and fourth A days and seventh and eighth A and B days for both semesters.

The class period is always started with an article pertaining to something that happens in the environment in Wisconsin.

The class continues on to either talk about notes, take a short quiz or test, or go to computer lab to fill out a worksheet that was handed out earlier.

Albers said, “There is a lot of real life application in this class. I think that most students don’t understand that there are newer, more fun ways of learning.”

The class is split into two different semesters and if you take one semester, you are not required to take the second semester.

The first semester is based upon the land, forestry, geology, and soils and the second semester is based upon air and water.

There is not a large amount of homework given in the class. The only time outside work is given is when the work in class was not finished before the end of the day.

Each semester only contains a total of two major projects.

Participant in this class, Junior Samantha Brossman, says, “I like learning about forestry and how these things affect the environment. It’s an okay class, but my favorite part is when we go outside.”