Teens and third graders get together to study water
Third graders from Mountain View Elementary School recently spent the afternoon at Crescent Valley High School analyzing water samples alongside teenage chemistry students.
The unusual partnership came about when CV chemistry teacher Adam Kirsch heard about a science project his son was involved in at Mountain View in Dan Reynold’s third grade class. The children are raising about 450 Chinook salmon eggs in their classroom for release in the South Santiam River.
When Kirsch heard about the project he suggested the younger students could use the high school’s chemistry lab to compare the turbidity, dissolved oxygen and pH levels of various water samples, including Jackson Creek which runs through the CV campus.
“Mr. Kirsch said he would love to get his students involved with the water portion of our studies,” said Reynolds. “He thought a great connection to the students’ lives would be to obtain a water sample from their homes. This would allow us to make some comparison between our drinking water and the water we have in the salmon tank.”
Some of the high school students traveled to Mountain View to help the children understand the different components of water and then they worked alongside the third graders to study their water samples in the CV lab. The collaborative project was a great opportunity for both groups of students, according to both teachers.
