Oak Lawn Community High School Science Department Chair Michael Bielski is passionate about ecology, and he shares his knowledge generously with his students at the Indiana Dunes National Park. Every third Saturday of the month, Michael volunteers twelve hours of his weekend to bring students to the Indiana Dunes to help them fulfill their service hours graduation requirement. Mike even provides the students with water, Gatorade, and snacks for the day. During these trips, students do more than earn service hours: they learn important life skills such as waking up early, how to prepare for a trip, what clothes to wear to work in a variety of weather conditions, how to work with others, and how to best fuel their bodies to prepare themselves for a long day of work.
Students have prepared garden beds, including planting, tending, and harvesting at Chellburg Farm. They have conducted minor fence repairs, cut and stacked firewood, created planter boxes, and maintained equipment used in the collection and preparation of maple syrup. They even constructed a new roost for the park’s chicken coop. Students learn about trail maintenance by removing invasive plant and tree species from park meadows.
Every trip also includes a scheduled beach cleanup. For some students, this is their first time seeing Lake Michigan. When they return to school, every student helps clean the van so it is ready for the next school day. Michael collects all plastic bottles and waste to ensure that they are recycled or discarded appropriately. Michael reminds us that the most powerful lessons are the ones lived with heart.