The second grade pond trip is an annual highlight for students in Mrs. Wilcox’s class. This Tuesday, April 29th, her students and a group of dedicated parent volunteers made their way to a beautiful pond near Quail Hollow Park to discover the unique environmental characteristics of the pond and to collect water samples to take back to their class. In the afternoon the second graders conducted a laboratory investigation to examine their samples using microscopes and a stereoscope. The students found newts, mayfly larva, hydra, tadpoles, water striders, worms, and numerous other aquatic creatures. The room was filled with a sense of discovery as students encouraged others to see what they had found.
This year the second graders were joined by a team of four eighth grade science students. These students brought along some sophisticated scientific instrumentation they had been using this semester to chart the water quality of Carbonero Creek where it passes behind the Baymonte campus. They were able to compare the water quality of the pond with our creek. They shared their results with the second graders who learned about water pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, fecal coliform, nitrate levels and how those factors influenced the aquatic environment.
A great day was had by all. It is evident that we have a number of budding scientists in our student body.