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Budget committee nixes solar farm, AHS-to-SOU scholarships ... Memorial Day rites set for Monday ... GOP's war on the poor ... Budget committee nixes solar farm, AHS-to-SOU scholarships ... Memorial Day rites set for Monday ... ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION The battle for the Earth Bowl Middle-schoolers match environmental knowledge in effort to win new contest Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 22, 2015 at 2:00 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 22, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News How do you get kids passionate about the environment? Make it a game, with teams competing in a tense brain bowl, with a big trophy, pizza and high-fives at the end. That’s what the Ashland Conservation Commission did — it created six Earth Bowl teams, each with four students and set them to researching, discussing, cramming and strategizing their answering style. So when moderator Jeff Golden posed the questions in the Ashland Middle School gym Monday evening, the kids had heard it all, knew what to expect and had their flags ready to wave for answers. The team from the environmentally-focused John Muir School triumphed, got presented with a whimsical trophy built by Dale Muir around an Earth globe — and appeared as pumped as any winning football team. “We won because we do this every week. We go out in nature, hands-on and actually experience it all,” said six-grader Josh Eskenazi. His dad, Joe Eskenazi allowed it was “an incredible performance and I was a little nervous as it went along, a mixture of adrenalin and pride. I mean, I probably knew 2 percent of what they knew. It made me wish I were young again.” Team member Zander Huston said “It was a lot of field trips.” Cole Robertson chipped in, “that and we practiced hard just before this.” Lynn Lotti, a parent of team member Dawson Young and coach of the ebulllient John Muir team, said, “I told them if they agree to participate, they get chocolate chip cookies at every meeting and a big pizza at the end. We decided each kid would become an expert in two or three areas and if there were any dispute about an answer, that person would prevail.” Conservation Commission members — they wrote the questions — deemed the Earth Bowl a wild success and, said member Shel Silverberg, and plan to expand it next year to include middle schoolers in Phoenix and Talent. “They’re smart kids,” he said. “This exceeded my expectations. I’m thrilled. What impressed me most was the enthusiasm of the teachers.”  Commission member Jim Hartman, who judged responses and time, said the event’s purpose is “to get them to know environmental issues so they can engage in thoughtful and effective action all their lives.” The competitive spirit of young teens was fiercely evident, as they often would wave flags when only a few words of some questiosn were out — such as “Who wrote the book that changed ....” “Rachel Carson!!” ("Silent Spring," 1962). “It led to a ban on ....” All flags went up. “DDT!” Scores of questions covered the vast arcana of environmental knowledge: the percent of marine litter that comes from land (80). The amount of wetlands lost to development in the U.S. (half). The increase or decrease in the percent of people living globally in extreme poverty (decreased by 50 percent). The students had right answers for almost all of them. “They’ve been studying extra-curricularly on a range of issues,” said Golden, “and making environmental learning fun.” Sixth-grader Emma Kate Murphree, a member of the finalist “Dirt” team, said, “It feels really good to participate. We studied and researched for six weeks and it was a great learning experience.” Her mom, Liese Murphree, added, “We dived into different areas of focus, two to a kid. They did a lot of reading, a lot of practice questions. It gives kids a chance to dig into and shine in something interesting, so it’s right up there with sports.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 22, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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