Bats Matter!

Roseline Raymond
Granite St. School
Millinocket, Maine 04462
TTEC 2015

Bats are in trouble throughout the Northeast with a disease called White-Nose Syndrome. Bats play a critical role in our ecosystem; it’s a real world problem that exists in our community.


4th grade students at Granite St. School wanted to address that problem through their service learning project. During library I read them, A Little Brown Bat Story by Melissa Kim, Bat Hospital by Clare Hibbert, The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bat by Sandra Markle and The Life Cycle of a Bat by Rebecca Sjonger.

They were given magazine articles; watched YouTube video on White-Nose Syndrome and a small mammal biologist from Wildlife Fish and Game Dept. came in and talked to students about the plight of the little brown bat. Both 4th grade teachers worked diligently with students to research habitat, the role bats play in our ecosystem and asked how can we help bats?

Students formulated a plan to use the Michaud Trail right beside their school to install three bat houses to repopulate the bats in our community while decreasing the insect population. In order to accomplish their goal students wrote letters to persuade the town council to agree with their proposal.



Four persuasive letters were chosen and those students had the opportunity to read their letter at the town council meeting. 4th grade students were on the agenda on April 14 th , 4:30 at the Municipal Building in the Town Council Chambers.


It was a unanimous decision by the council that the bat houses could go up on the Michaud Trail, success! Students then wrote to area businesses asking for donations to supply materials. Sterns lumber came through and donated all the materials needed to accomplish their goal.

This project tied into 4th grade reading, writing, speaking and government curriculum. I need to thank both 4th grade teachers, Mrs. Cassidy and Ms. Daigl who gave so much of their time and talent to this project, it would not have succeeded without you!