Fifteen journalism students from Federal Hocking High School went out “on assignment” one day this fall to report on Athens Conservancy’s newest nature preserve, Winner Woods, adjacent to the village of Stewart. Student reporters Chelsea Burke and Vanessa Harris – who wrote an article for the school’s newspaper, The Lancer Local News – called the 106-acre preserve “a little piece of heaven right next door.”
The group and their teacher Renee Riddle met up with Athens Conservancy board member Aimee Delach, who led them on a 1 1/2 mile hike through the forested preserve. Along the way, she pointed out various species of trees and other plants, and talked about the place’s history and allure.
“The students were all super engaged,” Delach says. “You can just tell how everything changes when you get kids out in the woods. Everyone was really into it.”
The students’ assignment was to approach the outing from a local news angle, since the Conservancy had just hosted an opening celebration at the preserve the week before. In the article, the reporters said the trees on the Grand Oak Trail … ”took every student’s breath away.”
Read their entire article in the student newspaper here.
Delach enjoyed the day, too. “I used to be a scout leader when my kids were younger; it’s my favorite thing to teach people about nature, especially when it’s a place so close by. Since many of the students live right in the area, this is now their local place, where they can come and enjoy being in nature.”
