Mantua – Mantua Village Park was the site of a very special field trip recently, when the entire first grade class — all 137 of them — ventured out on a sunny autumn afternoon. Once the excited pupils exited the buses, 21 high school students — all members of Crestwood High School’s American Experience Academy Class, greeted the youngsters.
For the older students, the primary purpose of the field trip was to test the water quality of the Cuyahoga River that borders the park. The high schoolers’ observations began earlier in the school year, according to Andy Brown, Environmental Science teacher at CHS. When the air and water temperatures were more conducive to entering the river, students observed the physical qualities of the river to measure water quality. They entered the river to observe components like water temperature, bacteria content, and water flow. The goal of this week’s excursion was to locate and observe macroinvertebrates found in the river, to use as indicators of water quality.
The high schoolers armed with nets and donned in waders, scooped a bounty of organic matter from the river and spread it out for the younger students to investigate. Each group used laminated photographs to help identify their treasures, water-based creatures like hellgrammites and water penny beetles were examined under magnifying glasses before being stored in ice cube trays filled with river water. These living treasures would be shared with the other groups before being released back to their river home after the first graders return to their classrooms.
On paper, it may sound as though setting so many budding young scientist loose near a body of running water is a bad idea, but the day was a resounding success. No one without waders entered the river on the spectacular fall day, kids of all ages made some interesting discoveries, and everyone returned to school by dismissal time. Angus McDougall, history teacher for the CHS Academy class, relayed the story of one of the day’s participants, a “girly girl” who was initially hesitant to get her hands dirty. “By the end of the day,” he marveled, “she was finding bugs left and right, with her pink bow bobbing as she went after them!”
Experiencing the natural world up close is a bonus surprise of the field trip; although Crestwood Primary is a mere two miles from the Village Park, several first graders had never visited. “This field trip is unique, since it gives the kids an opportunity to see what is actually in their own back yard,” Brown concluded.
Mrs. Monica Cavanaugh, CPS first grade teacher worked with the high school teachers to organize the trip. The rest of the first-grade team: Mrs. Picone, Miss Mannarino, Miss Charles and Miss Spice all participated in the learning adventure. The outdoor experience reinforces first grade science learning standards established through the State of Ohio. “Prior to our trip I gave each class a mini lesson on macroinvertebrates and the role they play in an aquatic ecosystem,” Cavanaugh explained. “They learned about the important part these creatures play in the food chain surrounding lakes, ponds and rivers,” she added. “And then they were able to take part in looking for and observing these organisms,” she marveled. “This was a hands-on lesson in how the living and non living parts of an ecosystem work together!”
This is just one of the many projects the Academy class takes on over the course of the school year. Each spring, the class holds Frontier Days, an outdoor experiential learning program to showcase their work for elementary students and community members. And soon ground will be broken for an aquaponic greenhouse the class will be utilizing. Students have been hard at work conducting research projects to determine the ideal fish species and plant cultivars that will be propagated in the school district’s new facility. For more information on the American Experience Academy class and how you can assist their efforts, contact Brown or McDougall at Crestwood High School (330) 357-8205.
