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Experiment turns into an adventure Middle-schoolers grow underwater grass in class, teach others how to help the environment Date published: 5/25/2006
A local middle school turned an in-class experiment into an outdoors adventure yesterday.
Science classes at Rodney Thompson Middle School in Stafford County have been growing underwater grass in tanks in their classrooms. But their teacher is hoping they'll learn a lot more than just how grass grows. The grass the students grew is called submerged aquatic vegetation--SAV for short--and the type is commonly known as wild celery. The grass will be planted next week at the opposite end of Accokeek Creek from the school, near where it joins Potomac Creek. "It's a wonderful opportunity for the kids to be outdoors and know how something they saw grow from a seed all the way into a full plant will be utilized and how important it is," said Belinda Castolandolt, an eighth-grade science teacher. Since the planting in February, Castolandolt said she's been teaching her students how important SAV is for the environment in Stafford County. Wild celery serves as a food for a number of species of wildlife. It also provides shelter and oxygen. Yesterday's adventure was one way students could learn about the importance of SAV in a hands-on way. "We tested the nitrates and the pH to see which plants grow the best in the water," said Lauren Kozar, an eighth-grader. Through this knowledge, Kozar said she now understands how having SAVs in Accokeek Creek and the Potomac River can affect the wildlife in the area. She and some classmates spent yesterday helping teach sixth- and seventh-graders what they knew. The students visited six stations in the woods behind the middle school to learn about wildlife and its relationship to SAVs. On their first stop, a group got a taste of bird-watching as they used binoculars to search the skies for local bird species. "I really liked the bird watching," said Brittany Campbell, a sixth-grader who said she had done some bird-watching before at home.
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