When Brianna Spies was a freshman at Wiscasset Middle High School, having Chewonki Foundation’s help on a project helped her see her topic, sea level rise, and other world events in a different light. They don’t just happen in a far-off place, they impact everyone where they are, she said.

She also gathered information at Chewonki she wouldn’t have otherwise had for the project, Spies, now a sophomore, recalled Monday.

Fellow sophomore Kaitlyn Main had a similar experience with her freshman global issues project on climate change denial. The Chewonki portion of the learning “gave us a real world example” on topics including renewable energy and habitat, she said. And she got to work with college students who were also learning at Chewonki, Main said.

The school department’s partnership with Chewonki began in 2015 and continues at least through 2025, Keith Crowley of Chewonki told the Wiscasset School Committee in a presentation he and WMHS social studies teacher Mary Ellen Bell made Oct. 16. According to graphics the two presented, the partnership is part of Environmental Living and Learning for Maine Students, or ELLMS, a collaboration between Chewonki, the Ecology School, Schoodic Institute and University of Maine 4-H Camp and learning centers at Bryant Pond and Tanglewood to give students outdoor learning experiences that “empower students to create healthy, vibrant communities.”

Wiscasset and nine other school districts have ELLMS partnerships.

Plans for this school year include an outdoor classroom at Wiscasset Elementary School, Crowley said.

Via email, WES Principal Stacy White said it is in the early planning stages but will be in the far right corner of the field. Physical education teacher Daniela Marino and Crowley are working to develop a budget; construction is expected to start in late winter or early spring, White wrote in response to questions.

“We are exploring a permanent structure with a roof, flexible/movable seating and storage for equipment.

“We have a great working relationship with Chewonki,” White wrote. “We are very fortunate that they have invested so much time and effort with our teachers and students. They are an amazing resource!”