Water Quality Lesson
  • Description: All fifth grade Garrett County Public School (GCPS) students complete a water quality activity during one of their visits to HEEC. During this lesson, students measure water quality perimeters of a local stream or river, conduct a stream/river health assessment, and complete a macroinvertebrate survey. Students then analyze all data to draw conclusions about overall health of the stream/river. The lesson concludes with a discussion of the impact of human activity on the waterway and measures that could be taken to improve water quality. Some classes continue to monitor a stream close to their home school for the remainder of the school year, using the techniques and knowledge acquired during this lesson. 
  • Grade Level: 5
  • Number of Students Involved:  Approximately 300 students annually (all GCPS grade five students)
  • Date: Activity occurs annually and was last completed in September of 2019
Following is an email correspondence between HEEC environmental science instructor Rebecca Kenyon-Sisler and a GCPS fifth grade teacher discussing the water quality lesson. 
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HEEC instructor Rebecca Kenyon-Sisler guides students through a visual assessment of the health of the Casselman River.
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Students inspect their net for macroinvertebrates to identify as they gather data to determine water quality.
Stormwater Management Lesson
  • Description: When seventh grade classes visit in the spring, HEEC custodian Daymond Schmuck takes the students on a tour of the wastewater treatment plant at HEEC that he oversees. During the tour, he explains how the various components of the plant clean the water before it is released into a nearby stream. He also explains the tests he conducts to monitor the quality of the water being released into the environment.  
  • Grade Level: 7
  • Number of Students Involved: Approximately 300 students annually (all GCPS grade seven students)  
  • Date: Activity occurs annually and was last completed in April of 2019
Following is a schematic of the wastewater treatment plant provided to the students to help them understand how the plant operates. 
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Seventh grade students listen as the HEEC custodian explains the process used to clean the wastewater before it is released into the environment.
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Students check out a sample of clean water at the end of the treatment process.