Height Modernization and GPS take off in the Classroom The Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School GPS Club in Racine, Wisconsin, had a week full of learning and exploration. On April 27, 2005, they attended a meeting with Glen Schaefer of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) Height Modernization Program funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to learn about surveying and GPS. The club also attended a “geocaching” event, “The Secrets of Stonehaven,” on April 30, 2005, at Harrington Beach State Park.
Mr. Schaefer instructed the club participants on the importance of benchmarks and the use of GPS in determining accurate elevations, the objective of  NOAA’s Height Modernization program. Benchmarks are a type of survey mark used to specify a point on the ground whose elevation, or height, relative to mean sea level, is known to the millimeter-level. The state of Wisconsin, as well as the rest of the United States, uses benchmarks to establish accurate elevations for use by surveyors, map makers, engineers, and others. The students learned a number of things including, how to:
Correctly identify a benchmark Determine who set the benchmark Determine if a benchmark is in need of repair Report a damaged benchmark Correctly care for a benchmark
Mr. Schaefer also guided the students through a participatory experience in the school’s library. He then had the group reconvene at the Windpoint Lighthouse to find, or “recover,” a benchmark on the lighthouse grounds. Mr. Schaefer gave the participants various maps of Racine, Racine County, and the state of Wisconsin. He also provided examples of benchmark “witness posts,” signs, which help locate and protect the benchmarks. Mr. Schaefer then presented the school with its own benchmark disk. The students in the GPS club now have the necessary experience to accurately report benchmarks they find to the Wisconsin Height Modernization program. This will assist Wisconsin in determining if found benchmarks are correctly mounted or in need or repair. Additionally, club members can provide a community and state service by assisting in the surveying process for the state of Wisconsin.
The Secrets of Stonehaven The GPS club continued their educational experience by traveling to Harrington Beach State Park on April 30 to participate in a Geocaching activity called “The Secrets of Stonehaven.”. The event featured 40 temporary geocaches, in three separate themes.
The day began with each student arriving at school before 7:00 a.m. -- on a Saturday! The club members split into two groups, with each group pursuing one major theme of the geocaches during the morning and afternoon “hunts.” Each student had the opportunity to use GPS to lead their group and be the “first finder” of a cache. The event concluded with group pictures and a raffle. The Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School GPS Club was one of the 94 teams present. There were a total of 229 participants at the event. The day drew to a close with the students returning to school tired, a little dirty, and really excited about the day that they had.
The students now have experience in and understanding of how GPS works and how to use it to find given coordinates. They learned how to look for positive and negative terrain features to aid in travel and personal safety. The students also learned how to participate in the sport of “Geocaching” and how to effectively communicate and work together as a team.
The Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School GPS Club Special thanks to Mr. John Strack, Assistant Principal and GPS Club Sponsor, Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School, for his contributions to this article.