WESTPORT — With a $2,000 grant to work with, all seventh and eighth grade students in the Westport Middle School will be taking part in a Diamondback Terrapin Science Program, through the Lloyd Center for the Environment, in the upcoming year.

Supported by the Westport Cultural Council through a grant from the Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust administered by the Bank of America, the Diamondback Terrapins Program is making science fun young students. And now that Science MCAS are given in the eighth grade, as well as at the high school level, science education is particularly important.

In April 2005, a baby Diamondback Terrapin, food, tank and tank accessories were “installed” in the seventh and eighth grade science teacher’s room at Westport Middle School. The students fed and cared for the terrapin, and closely observed a wild “threatened species” rarely seen in nature. 

Subsequently, the program has expanded to all the seventh and eighth grade science classrooms, available for study by several hundred students.  The Center provides the tanks, tank accessories (UV lights, filters, heat lamps, turtle platform heaters), food, and five terrapins, as well as the tank set-up, teacher training and ongoing teacher mentoring.  The turtles are collected and housed by the Lloyd Center for all extended vacations.

The children take daily readings of the air and water temperatures in the tank, monitor the food consumption of the turtle, and take weekly measurements of its growth.  Such hands-on observations, and data gathering, recording and analysis are key to the development of a student’s scientific understanding and competence. 

The program both helps promulgate a threatened species, provides lifelong lessons in skillful scientific observation & data collection, and inspires “scientific” interest and excitement in the students.  One specific discovery will be the importance of UV light on shell growth. 

The success of this program has led to its expansion to the Hastings Middle School in Fairhaven.

The Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust provides funding for the Westport Arts Council to make awards for projects that benefit Westport residents. Helen Ellis, an artist and a dedicated educator, was a resident of Westport for over 50 years. Her naturalistic woodcarvings were displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After she died, the proceeds of her estate were used to establish the charitable trust.

The trust supports Ms. Ellis' dream of inspiring others to develop their creative talents. The Westport Arts Council is a group of volunteers appointed by the Westport selectmen to administer grants received by the town each year.

Lloyd Center For the Environment

The Lloyd Center is the only area organization focused on educating the public about coastal and watershed issues, and conducting research on coastal ecosystems and endangered species. The Lloyd Center serves individuals, agencies, and organizations in southeastern New England (Rhode Island to Boston to Cape Cod). It

The Center cooperates on a broader level in coastal, environmental, and educational programming throughout New England, nationally and internationally.

The Center's school-based activities further expand their reach to urban audiences. A scholarship program also provides space for ten urban New Bedford students, mostly African-American and other minorities, in the Summer Program. 

You can learn more about the Lloyd Center for the Environmental at: http://www.lloydcenter.org.

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