The SMORE team completed the final sampling on Friday April 26. We had a pleasant weather day for our work out on the bay.
The team of students moved
efficiently through the sampling and testing. One student commented that the
day was really going by fast. I asked her why she thought that. She replied,
“Maybe because we really know what we’re doing now and can do it quicker!” I
told her that was probably true.
Watching them work, I can
verify that they certainly had the routine down. It’s always rewarding to watch
the progress they make throughout the year- moving from anxious moments at the
beginning of the year (Am I doing this right??) to confidence in their new
skills on their last trip to the bay.
With all the data collected,
the following weeks were spent trying to make sense of what the measurements
were telling us. The analysis is always the hardest part. I remind them that
the same holds true for researchers as they try to make sense of all the data
they collect in their fieldwork and in the lab.
It’s been a good year for
our project. Sadly, we were not able to make a connection with a Barrow AK
team. We have high hopes that the next school year will bring us another partner classroom from Alaska. Ms.
McCook and a new class of students in Hinesville GA will join us again for
another year of coastal sampling and SMORE adventures.
So for now, we sign off
until next Fall. Congrats to the graduating 8th graders on our team for a job well done all year! We look forward to next school year and new SMORE Team!!
