Ernie Vita, who just finished the ninth grade at CVHS, nocks his arrow in P.E. class

Jamie Scott, a science teacher at Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS), has been demonstrating various principles of physics to her students this year using archery sets purchased with a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) grant.

The $11,000 grant from TPWD’s Community Outdoor Outreach Program also allowed Scott to buy camping equipment for the school’s ECO (Environment, Community, and Outdoor) Club, and purchase tools and plants to convert the school’s green roof into a “pocket prairie,” with help from the Katy Prairie Conservancy.

“We’ve been teaching archery to students in physical education, as well as anatomy/physiology and Advanced Placement physics courses,” said Scott. “It’s a perfect way to help them visualize academic vocabulary, such as parabola, arc, and trajectory.”

CVHS was one of 22 organizations that won a grant last year to help Texas children get back in touch with nature. Other campus activities funded with the grant included camping trips to Brazos Bend and Galveston Island state parks.

“By the end of the school year, we had reached more than 300 students,” noted Scott. “Given that our school is roughly 600 students, that’s half the school participating in at least one of these opportunities—and several students have indicated a strong interest in starting an archery team in the 2015–2016 school year.”

To apply for a grant for your school, please visit the TPWD’s website.