CdM students live their lessons

Environmental science came to life for Corona del Mar High students who helped with a restoration project as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

More than 40 students in Kim Rapp’s Advanced Placement environmental science class spent three hours Sunday clearing from the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve species of coastal sage, which had dominated some areas, and replanting seedlings to restore the wetland habitat, said Lori Kiesser, a spokeswoman for Inside the Outdoors Foundation.

Inside the Outdoors, which spearheaded the service project, gives students the opportunity to connect information from the classroom and textbooks to the world around them. It also builds the foundation for students to pursue careers in science that they might not otherwise have considered, she said.

“Getting hands-on outside of the classroom allows students to make connections to what they learn at school,” she said. “It takes the textbook concept and brings it to life.”

In addition to the Corona del Mar students, volunteers from La Quinta High School in Westminster, Cox Communication, PIMCO, Starbucks, the Disneyland Resort and OneOC dedicated more than 300 hours to the restoration project.