THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 10, 1995 TAG: 9505110662
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover story
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CARRSVILLE LENGTH: Long : 166 lines
Throughout the darkened cafetorium of Carrsville Elementary School, the eyes of students seated on the floor grew wide, lighting up with intrigue and interest at every new turn of events.
``The Indian children were disappearing,'' said the man on stage, dressed casually in blue jeans and a wide-brimmed straw hat. ``And the two Indian tribes got together and said, `We have to stop fighting. We have to find out what's happening to our children.' ''
The man inspiring such rapt attention was Old Dominion University biology and science professor Gerald Levy. For more than 20 years, he has been enraptured himself - by the Great Dismal Swamp, with all of its legends and lore.
For years, he's collected tales of the swamp, and he's entertained around campfires and at other gatherings, retelling the stories about Indians and swamp folks from years gone by.
``This is the first time I've done it for this age group,'' he said, smiling as the children gathered around him after the performance. ``It worked well. I was pleased.''
It worked well because Levy's audience already knew so much about the Great Dismal Swamp: It was the focus of the celebration of Science Month at Carrsville Elementary.
And it may represent a new wave in science fairs on the elementary level.
``We decided early in the year that we wanted to celebrate science in the elementary schools,'' said Dr. Flora Roberts, coordinator for elementary education in the county schools. ``We agreed that elementary science should be fun and it should involve active learning, a sharing of ideas. Sharing of what you've learned is a key element at this young age.''
Barbara Herrala, a fourth grade teacher at Carrsville, came up with an idea to apply the philosophy of active learning.
``The Dismal Swamp is right here - it's right in our back yard,'' Herrala said. ``We thought it would be nice to take a different approach in studying the swamp by wrapping our science fair around it.''
So Herrala approached Carrsville Elementary Principal Debra Hicks with the idea, and Hicks went to Roberts for her stamp of approval.
``We knew the administration was trying to put a different emphasis on science fairs,'' Herrala said. ``We wanted to get a message out: Science is fun. It pertains to real life. It's around us every day. We decided to create an awareness of the wonderful natural area that's so nearby.''
So the science fair at Carrsville was wrapped around the Dismal Swamp.
``We got a lot of help from Teresa Cherry, an outdoor recreation planner at the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge,'' Herrala said, proudly showing off a re-creation of the swamp in the hallway by the cafetorium. ``Our art teacher, Brenda Whitley, helped us create the scene. The kids brought different things in. Isn't it wonderful?''
``It was wonderful,'' Roberts said, and she sees it as a perfect example of the approach she was hoping for.
``We are always looking for exciting new ways to provide learning opportunities for children that get away from some of the traditional methods. The Dismal Swamp science fair incorporated language, social studies, history, science.''
A themed science fair was held this year at Windsor Elementary as well, Roberts said, where students were challenged to come up with an invention.
``Children don't learn in isolated subject areas,'' Roberts said. ``A theme is a tremendous value. All of the writing, all of the research, all of the art. And inventions - at Windsor, they looked at problem solving from the standpoint of inventions. This way, learning has real meaning for the child.''
For the Carrsville youngsters, learning about the Dismal Swamp meant learning about animals and nature, about ecology and history. And it meant learning about the giant firebird that was carrying off the Indian children and feeding them to her babies.
Levy's story revolved around an Indian maiden, White Dove, who had fallen in love with a warrior, Big Bear, from another tribe. When the maiden's father, a chief, refused to allow the lovers to marry, they ran off together into the swamp.
``They lost their way,'' Levy said. ``They climbed a huge tree to try to find their way, and they saw the nest of a giant firebird, with several babies in it.''
Levy went on to tell the youngsters how Big Bear fought the huge bird.
``He fought and fought until, finally, he killed the firebird and all seven of her babies. And then, he heard a voice:
`` `I am the spirit of the Dismal Swamp.' ''
The spirit guided the lovers to a safe haven, into the cavity of a huge, hollow cypress tree, where they stayed for several days while a violent storm raged around them.
When the storm ended, in place of the firebird's nest was Lake Drummond, and it was colored red by the blood of the perished birds.
``Big Bear and White Dove came out of the swamp,'' Levy said. ``By then, the Nansemond Indians and the Chesapeake Indians were friends, and they could get married.''
Levy followed the story of the firebirds with a poem about slaves, who frequently ran away from their owners and lived in the swamp. And the poem was followed by yet another story, about Wicked John, a man who lived on the edge of the swamp and still walks there at night because he was too mean even to go to . . .
``I can't say that word,'' Levy said, shaking his head. ``It's the bad place, you know.''
``H-E-L-L,'' spelled a voice in the audience.
``John was told to go to the Dismal Swamp and to walk forever, carrying a burning coal,'' the storyteller said. ``And today, there is a mysterious light, just beyond Lake Drummond. Wicked John is carrying that coal from H-E-L-L.''
Levy said he was concerned at first that some of his stories might frighten children, but he was impressed by his young audience.
``They were great. They hung on to every word.''
They must have hung on every word their teachers said as well, judging by the reports, experiments, displays, collages, mobiles and shadow boxes lining the school halls.
Herrala said the children were offered examples of the kinds of projects they could do on the swamp. Letters were sent home to parents to explain the science fair, and parents were encouraged to get involved.
The Carrsville youngsters were the first students anywhere to see the recently produced video ``Man and the Great Dismal Swamp,'' funded and coordinated in a joint effort between Union Camp Corp., the Izaak Walton Leage, Paul D. Camp Community College, Franklin city schools, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge.
And the Great Dismal Swamp science fair, if the county School Board approves it, could culminate in a trip for all the Carrsville youngsters to the wildlife refuge.
Maybe they'll see Wicked John there. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Old Dominion University professor Gerald Levy tells stories about
the swamp from days gone by.
Jennifer Chitwood looks at specimens from the swamp.
Brenda Greene tries to reach an overhanging snake on display.
Courtney March checks out a skunk in its nest.
Graphics
SWAMP POETRY
``The Lake of the Dismal Swamp''
Sir Thomas Moore, 1806
They made her a grave too cold and damp,
For a soul so warm and true;
And she's gone to the Lake of the Dismal Swamp,
Where all night long, by a firefly lamp,
She paddles her white canoe.
And her friendly lamp I soon shall see,
And her paddle I soon shall hear;
Long and loving our life shall be,
And I'll hide the maid in a cypress tree,
When the footstep of death is near.
Away to the Dismal Swamp he speeds,
His path was rugged and sore,
Through tangled juniper, beds of reeds,
Through many a fen where the serpent feeds,
And man never trod before.
ON THE COVER
Chad Dundlow of Carrsville Elementary plays with a 6-foot rubber
replica of a copperhead snake. Copperheads thrive in the Great
Dismal Swamp. Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II.
by CNB