Jeffrey Vogus works with students during Mount Union’s annual stream study. Students examined streams to learn more about water quality and ecosystem health.
By VADA BANKS | Journalism Student, Mount Union Area Senior High School
Mount Union, Pa. — According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, students absorb about 50% more information through hands-on lessons when compared with traditional ways of learning. Mount Union Area High School students recently had the opportunity to put that type of learning into practice.
On Friday, Sept. 25, teachers Jeffrey Vogus, Benjamin Smith, and Macy Albright took a group of students to West Licking Creek and Hill Valley Creek to experience how seemingly unimportant factors come together to create the incredibly complex world we live in.
The stream study was first started at Mount Union by former ninth-grade environmental teacher Suzanne Brown. “She wanted to take classes out to do some water testing and collect insects, and that kind of morphed into Mr. Vogus taking his AP chem kids,” Smith said.
After taking a short hiatus, the study was brought back in 2010. Ten years later, Smith and Albright were brought onto the team to provide more perspectives on the study. “They brought myself and Ms. Albright on board to kind of do more habitat and insect analysis, while Mr. Vogus’s class focused more on the water quality,” Smith said.
The stream study itself focuses on determining the overall health of a particular stream. However, all three groups conduct different experiments. “My sections would first do a habitat assessment, so we look at the stream banks, the stream bed, and there is the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) assessment for 12 different parameters, and we score that based on what we see,” Smith explained.
In addition to the habitat assessment, Smith uses nets to collect and examine the quantity and types of insects found in a stream. While insects might appear to be a trivial part of the study, they are crucial to determining the health of the water. “Based on what you find there, you can grade the health of the water. If you’re only finding certain tolerant insects, those are insects that can handle some pretty rough water and poor water quality,” Smith said.
The most recent group of students who participated in the stream study found a significant difference between the two streams they tested. Hill Valley Creek, located in Mount Union, was found to be more degraded and less abundant in insects. Meanwhile, findings from West Licking Creek indicated that it was more pristine and untouched. “The takeaway is that the stream in town is affected by the activity of people, and it’s something to kind of protect and keep an eye on,” Smith stated.
While the main purpose of the trip is to educate students about the environment, memorable, unexpected moments also help make the experience unforgettable. Smith recalled that one of his favorite memories was when a group of students stumbled upon a snake. “I think last year we found a snake along the bank, and Ms. Albright almost had a heart attack. She ran away shrieking and screaming,” Smith said.
Along with this lighthearted memory, Smith said he enjoys seeing students discover an interest in the experiments they perform during the study. “It’s good seeing that curiosity peak in students that honestly sometimes you would not expect it. That’s something good I really like about the trip,” Smith said.
Beyond the memorable moments, the stream study gives teachers an opportunity not only to teach students but also to encourage curiosity and a love of learning. “I know that not every student is going to go into the environmental field. I get that, but it is a good example of how there is life outside of school that utilizes stuff taught in here,” Smith explained.
The world is bigger than the walls of a school, and it is important that students have opportunities to explore it. “That creek, that stream has a whole teeming ecosystem in it, not just water and fish,” Smith added.
This hands-on learning activity helps students better understand how everything in an ecosystem is connected, no matter how small. “I think it definitely increases their connections to the content,” Smith explained. “I think those kinds of activities and lessons do have a greater impact, and students do tend to kind of remember those a lot more.”
When students realize the impact of their role in the environment, learning almost becomes second nature. For Mount Union student Anikka Baker, the trip provided an opportunity to see those connections firsthand. Baker attended the stream study alongside Smith and his group, observing water flow, erosion, rocks, and human intervention. She then scored these factors to help determine the quality of the streams. “We found lots of crayfish, water bugs, and dragonflies. The second stream wasn’t as diverse but had a lot of fish,” Baker said.
Beyond observing the differences between the two streams, the experience also gave Baker a better understanding of what an ecosystem needs to survive. When asked what she gained from the experience, Baker said, “It helped me understand all of the requirements for life to thrive.”
The stream study is an event that many Mount Union students look forward to each year. It brings what is taught in the classroom to life and encourages students to take advantage of opportunities outside of their everyday school experience.
“I encourage people and the students to pursue opportunities when they are there,” Smith said. “Not everybody wanted to go on that trip, which is fine, but I think you get more out of the high school experience if you try those things and put yourself out there.”
This article was published as part of Ms. Dimoff’s Journalism class at Mount Union Area Senior High School.
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