Last week tenth grade students participated in a hands-on lab from the shore of the campus lake, where they collected water samples. This activity kicked off a longitudinal study of water quality in the drainage systems on campus, where grey water processing and runoff exists in the ponds, seasonal streams, and lakes by the school. The class will be producing a data set profiling the quality of water that can be used to correlate any seasonal spikes or abnormalities to human activity.
The lab techniques the students are learning are part of the College Board’s AP Environmental Science curriculum, but are usually used once as a demonstration. To really see a clear picture of water quality, this year, the students will use our time on campus and our need to work individually rather than in groups to produce a significant data set, sampling and testing water from around campus regularly and for many indicators of quality and ecosystem health.
This year the oceanography students in tenth grade at Mount Madonna School (MMS) will experience an expanded unit on water chemistry and pollution. Usually this is a single lab the students perform in the spring.
A focus of ocean chemistry and water pollution is always a part of tenth grade Honors Oceanography, and sampling the lakes and waterways around the 375-acre MMS campus in the spring is always an insightful experience for students. One objective of the class is to allow students to experience science exactly as career scientists do, with hands-on field and lab techniques that are actually used by researchers and lab workers.
“This is an experience that can’t always happen during the traditional cannon of high school science, within the normal sequence of biology, chemistry and physics,” commented teacher Lisa Catterall. “Rightly so, labs in those classes are targeted at a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts of science, rather than at producing usable and relevant data. It’s also important, however, for students to experience what they would do, should they choose a scientific career.”
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Nestled among the redwoods on 375 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a diverse learning community dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.