Rosemont Fifth Graders Learned How to Lead Interpretive Hikes in the Blackland Prairie
Twelve Hills Nature center finished its 15th year of the Nature Leaders program. Each year, fifth graders from Rosemont Upper Campus come to Twelve Hills to learn all about Blackland Prairie – the plants, the insects, the animals, the watershed, and the geology. They spend a full semester after school with Texas Master Naturalist volunteers, as well as a day with TPWD Urban Wildlife Biologist, Sam Kieschnick, to learn each part of the curriculum.
Master Naturalists teach how each element of the prairie benefits us, the Blackland Prairie ecoregion, and the ecosystem overall. They learn scientific methods, how to create charts and graphs, and how to document observations about what they encounter. Students also learn the history of the land, from the shallow sea that created our limestone outcropping, to the river that cut through and flooded the plains, to the early inhabitants, and how settlers changed the landscape. The most important thing students learn is how to appreciate nature. They’re encouraged to look up into the sky and down to the ground. They see how the smallest creatures can make a large impact on the energy web, and how plain beetles are actually quite beautiful when magnified. Several students have declared they want to be biologists, nature photographers for National Geographic, or in general want to promote conservation at home and in their neighborhoods. Their teacher, Mr. Gilberto Rodriguez, was this year’s liaison and was instrumental in scheduling with schools and parents!
The final piece of Nature Leaders is learning how to lead interpretive walks. We love watching the kids blossom from being unsure about public speaking, to confidently sharing their knowledge with schoolmates. This is the leadership part of Nature Leaders! During the last week of school, every class from Rosemont Lower Campus ranging from pre-K to third grade comes out for a guided hike led by the fifth graders. Our Nature Leaders use their new-found skills to impart knowledge and nature appreciation to younger students, who might become a future generation of Nature Leaders!
This year, we were joined by former Nature Leader Daniel Galindo! He will graduate in 2026 fromW. H. Adamson high school here in Oak Cliff while completing a dual credit program with El Centro college with an associates in networking. He intends to study education at university and teach math in the future. Daniel is proof to us that the Nature Leaders program changes lives! Keep it up, Daniel! We’re proud of you!
His mother, Nancy is a long-time volunteer with the Nature Leaders program, and is much appreciated for keeping our students hydrated and organized at the end of their walks! She comes back year after year, though her kids have passed the Nature Leaders age, and we’re so grateful for the support she shows!
Special thank yous
- Marcie Haley
- Beth Timpson
- Erin Mollet
- Chris Wordlaw
- Meredith Worrell
- Samantha Knight
- Patty Griffin
- Sue Hall
- Suzanne Braddock
- Shelby Smith
- Susan Hamilton
- North Texas Master Naturalists
- Sam Kieschnick and TPWD
- Gilberto Rodriguez
- Nancy Davila
- Daniel Galindo
- Upper Principal Stephanie Munves
- Lower Principal Katie Benningfield
- Amy Tawill
- Bret Turner
- Rosemont Lower Staff (thank you for accommodating our rainy days on short notice!)
- Nature Leader Parents and Guardians (thank you for allowing our Nature Leaders to learn with us!)
- Rosemont PTA
