Gregory Heights Middle School is located in the heart of Portland, Oregon, several miles from any large body of water, yet teacher Jere Fitterman was determined to bring the local river into the hallways of her school. A sixth-grade life science teacher at Gregory Heights and an active member of the Oregon Geographic Alliance, Jere wanted to teach her students about the watershed in which they live. She also wanted them to be reminded every day that their actions affect that watershed. So in 1999, Jere proposed the Riverscape Mural Project and wrote several grants to local government and nonprofit organizations. Her proposed combination of art and science piqued local imagination and within months the innovative project was under way.

Students set out to explore the Willamette River with daylong field trips aboard a boat chartered by a local watershed education organization. Students learned about flooding, city planning with attention to water conservation, the effects of erosion, and riverbanks as home to distinct plants and animals. Each of the students was assigned to take pictures of a specific river section.

After returning from this river exploration, students worked with artist-in-residence Wendy Dunder and painted their selected sections of the river on the walls of the school hallways. By spring 2000, the Willamette River watershed, complete with beaches, wetlands, buildings, and people, came to life on the school walls. With their imagination in high gear, students began to turn their hallways into an entire river system—even the stairwell was called into service as Willamette Falls at Oregon City.

The 640-foot (195-meter) mural project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2002, and each of the school’s 850 students will have participated in the creation and preservation of this still-life watershed.

“If you are sitting here where there are no natural streams, you have no sense of being in a watershed. Most kids haven’t been to or seen the Willamette River. They don’t realize that what they do affects the river and the watershed. This project serves as a way to bring the Willamette River closer to the community,” says Jere Fitterman.

Working from a photograph, a student adds touches to the mural. Photograph by Jere Fitterman

Realizing the power of river education, Jere put together a creative project with learning activities related to a variety of subjects including geography, social studies, art, and science. It establishes the connection between community and watershed not only for her own students, but for generations of students. The mural itself represents the diversity of the Willamette River community and the student artists who created it. The halls of Gregory Heights Middle School remind students of their role within the watershed and how their everyday activities impact the river. The mural also encourages people to take action in maintaining the health of the watershed.

National Geographic has also recognized the importance of rivers. This year’s Geography Action! program has reached out to more than a million people, highlighting rivers as one of our most important natural treasures. Jere Fitterman and her colleagues are among the thousands of teachers participating in Geography Action! activities each year. National Geographic wants to hear from educators and students who have also undertaken river-related activities. Complete the Take Action! survey to share these experiences with educators across the nation.

• See the Gregory Heights Riverscape Mural.
• Take action in river conservation—join the National Geographic Society’s new initiative, Geography Action! Rivers 2001.
• Geography Action! Rivers 2001 is an educational outreach program of the National Geographic Society in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and The Conservation Fund.

To be a part of our team of inspirational educators, join our Educator Network, the Geography Teaching Alliances.

• Winning an NGS Teacher Grant started Peggy Clay on a path from her Alabama classroom to NGS Headquarters.
• A desire for improvement and professional development spurred North Carolina teacher Steve Pierce to pursue national board certification.