The River Rocks! Field Trip to the Rock River with Middle School Students

The Connecticut River Conservancy’s AmeriCorps service member, Bay Holmes (left), exploring the Rock River with Hilltop Montessori students.

The Connecticut River Conservancy continues to bring watershed education to our local schools. AmeriCorps service member, Bay Holmes, along with Stormwater Project Manager, Charles Soucey, recently worked with Hilltop Montessori’s middle school Math and Science teacher, Nora Gordon, to develop a field trip for students to get hands-on experience with water quality testing and macroinvertebrate sampling. 

“Working with experts in the field is an essential component of our science curriculum. Spending the day with Bay and Charles in the Rock River helped our students see themselves in the role of "scientist," asking important questions, gathering data, and contributing to our better understanding of the world around us. Not to mention, getting up close and personal with bugs is always exciting!” says Nora Gordon.  

Other workshops included creating rock sculptures with Finn Campman, the Language and Fine Art teacher at Hilltop Montessori, and a geology exploration with Fred McKenny of Freds Rock Shop. 

Spread out along the Rock River in Newfane VT, student groups rotated between the four workshops. We gathered at midday for lunch and ended the day with a closing circle, pictured below. 

Lunch gathering during Rock River field trip with Middle School students.

The lesson did not end here. Back in the classroom, students were tasked with creating projects based on what they learned. Below are two examples of projects the students created. 

For this project, the student created an educational pamphlet on the life cycle of a mayfly. During the field trip, students observed the nymph stage.

This student completed a project on conductivity, how it is measured, and how these measurements are used as an indicator of water quality and pollution sources.

Working with and educating our community helps to foster a shared sense of belonging to our watershed, a critical component of river stewardship. We are grateful for these opportunities to collaborate and build partnerships within our community, and to get students excited about science and the natural world.

If you’re an educator who would like to collaborate with the Connecticut River Conservancy, feel free to reach out to the River Steward in your state!