Students from The Renaissance School moving down the LaPlatte River during a field study.

 

“Potash Brook is very healthy, and we found that out because we studied the physical, biological, and chemical facts of the brook,” wrote Josh Wolfstein, a 5th grader at The Renaissance School in Shelburne.  Last Monday, Josh and his fellow students in grades four through six explored the Potash Brook in South Burlington together with science teacher Hans Manske and graduating high school senior Matt Conte from Vermont Commons School in South Burlington.  With similar philosophies, the two schools are finding common ground and working together on projects, such as the water quality studies at Potash Brook and building awareness of waste products when packing lunches for school.

Matt Conte (right) of the Vermont Commons School works with a student from The Renaissance School during a field study at Potash Brook.

The students worked together in teams to assess the health of the brook, calculating the water’s rate of flow by measuring the width and depth of the brook in several places and timing the travel of a tennis ball as it floated a certain distance in the water.  Another group looked for baby insects, also known as macro invertebrates.  Sophia Lothrop, another 5th grader, described their findings. “We found three stonefly nymphs, six caddis fly larvae, two water pennies, and one clam.  All of those bugs are good, except the clam, because they can only live in clean water.”  The third group of young scientists assessed the water’s pH and phosphorus levels, finding that those also indicated a healthy stream.

 

Students from The Renaissance School collecting field samples during a study at the LaPlatte River.

 

After completing their work at the brook, students returned to the classroom to interpret the data that they had collected, performing complex calculations and sharing their results with the rest of the class.  “As a whole, the group was incredibly engaged and excited about the project and did an exceptional job analyzing the information back at school and presenting it to their classmates.  I hope this can be the first of a continuing educational relationship between our two programs,” commented Hans Manske.

“Hans and Matt were wonderful science instructors,” commented The Renaissance School teachers, Eve Dubois and Heather Dudley.  “They helped the children to gather and interpret the data and explained the implications of their findings in terms that the children could understand.  It was a wonderful learning experience for everyone and gave us an opportunity to practice so that we can also do this kind of investigation in waterways close to our school, like the LaPlatte River.”

 

Hans Manske, science teacher from the Vermont Commons School, teaching students from The Renaissance School during a field study at Potash Brook.

The timing of this field trip was particularly apt, as the students have been engaged in a year-long thematic study of water-related topics.  The students had just returned from a trip to Quebec City where they observed the St. Lawrence River.  The investigation of a Lake Champlain tributary enabled the students to imagine the journey of a drop of water from the Potash Brook, into Lake Champlain, north to the Richelieu River, the St. Lawrence River, and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Students from The Renaissance School prepare their field study at Potash Brook.

 

Students from The Renaissance School enjoying time in the field at Potash Brook.