Gender Equality United States Project #8684

Help A Low-Income Girl Stay in School

by Community Bridges Inc.

Project Report | Feb 6, 2012
A Memorable Trip to Sharp's at Waterford Farm

By Crystal Adegbola | JSES Program Manager

On a crisp, fall, November afternoon, 20 girls from Oak View and Kemp Mill elementary schools explored the beauty of Sharp's at Waterford Farm in Brookeville, MD. The purpose of the trip was for the girls to learn more about the connection between Maryland's natural resources and the communities where they live. Leading up to the trip, we had been discussing what makes a thriving community and the people who are vital to making our communities great.

As soon as we arrived, the girls leaped up onto the wagon reserved for our hayride; along with our friend, Peanut, a chocolate lab who the girls quickly fell in love with. The highlight of the hayride was rolling through Cattail Creek and hearing the girls' screams of delight (and maybe just a hint of nervousness) as the water splashed and Peanut jumped from the wagon to take an impromptu swim. After our short ride, we took a scenic walk through the nature trail and learned how the creek feeds our water supply in Silver Spring and also learned a bit about the foliage in the land--our best lesson was to not touch anything that you can't identify; we avoided some nasty poison oak thanks to the girls' curiosity.

After the nature walk, the group jumped back on the wagon, and on our way back to our loading point, made a brief stop at a gorgeous pond and saw a beaver's nest and posed for a group photo. Lastly, the girls got to feed some of the animals on the farm; cows, chickens and rabbits. This was definitely another highlight of the afternoon. Soon after, we brought the afternoon to a close with a short time of reflection for the girls to share their favorite moments from the trip--the timing was perfect as the cold was really starting to bite!

The following week, a few of the girls continued to talk about some of the facts they learned on the nature walk, i.e. identifying different types of plants/trees and sharing them with girls who had not been able to go. All in all the girls enjoyed their time and are thankful to all the staff and chaperones who made this trip possible and we're looking forward to more outdoor adventures in the Spring!

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