By Naomi Kohl, WSD Middle School Art Teacher
Perched among the quaking aspens and crisp mountain air of Summit Park, WSD students have a unique vantage point to witness the magic of Utah’s wild heart. The Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) Program offers them a bridge from our high-altitude peaks down to the shimmering, saline mirrors of the Great Salt Lake, turning the landscape into a living laboratory where science and art dance together.
At Weilenmann School of Discovery, the classroom has no walls and the JDS curriculum acts as a “visual term paper,” allowing students to synthesize their scientific observations into a single, hand-illustrated masterpiece. As they study the “treasures of the National Wildlife Refuge System,” such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, they aren’t just painting feathers; they are documenting the “diversity, interdependence, and beauty of wildlife.” This non-traditional pairing of subjects sparks a curiosity that flutters far beyond the sketchbook, fostering a lifelong appreciation for the natural resources that define our home.
For our Middle School students in the heart of the Wasatch, the Junior Duck Stamp Program has been an invitation to look closer at the ripple on the water and the wind in the wings, reminding them that their art has the power to protect the landscapes they love.
With appreciation for the wild spaces we share,
Naomi Kohl
