Wednesday, April 19, 2000
Students study a river's life forms
BY Andrea Tortora
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CALIFORNIA, Ky. — At the edge of the Ohio River Tuesday, seventh- and eighth-graders studied snakes, fish and the “turbidity” of river water.
The Holy Spirit students were at work in classrooms and labs inside an 81-year-old lock house along Ky. 8, the home of Thomas More College's Ohio River biology field station.
Turbidity has to do with the amount of suspended sediment in water.
While students studied, college officials accepted a $75,000 check from Ashland Inc. and the Ashland Foundation to continue educational programs at the site.
J. Dan Lacy, an Ashland vice president, said the three-year funding agreement is a natural partnership.
“The field station does all we like to do,” Mr. Lacy said. “It supports science, there is outreach to classrooms. It reaches out in all kinds of ways.”
Thomas More President, the Rev. William Cleves, said the grant will fund “Science on the River,” a year-long professional development program for middle school science teachers.
“We want to foster awareness of the goodness of the Earth and being responsible stewards of it,” Father Cleves said.
Teachers who participate will spend a week at the station this August, learning life and physical science activities they can do with students.
Teachers will then receive two classroom visits from Thomas More students and faculty, as well as a class trip to the field station later in the year.
Chris Lorentz, field station associate director and caretaker, said the college hopes to strengthen the teaching of middle school science in all Greater Cincinnati schools.
The announcement of Ashland's donation came at the start of Earth Week, to draw attention to the region's natural resources.
Holy Spirit eighth-graders Hannah Rechtin, Melia Clark and Shanel Samuel said Tuesday it was a new experience for them. Hands-on science meant going inside the building at old U.S. Lock 35. The girls and their classmates learned how to use filters to clean turbid or cloudy water.
They studied specimens of the animals and plants that live along and in the river, including fish and snakes.
John Hageman, field station director, showed off the site's bat house, currently awaiting tenants.
“We're more than just aquatic biology here,” Mr. Hageman told students. “We study birds, bats too.”
Auditor confident she'll beat charge
Traffic stop ends in fatal shooting
Building a bridge between faiths
Lebanon, state in tiff over retirement buyouts
Local patient gets latest in pacemakers
Monroe expected to OK Hustler store
Paul Brown Stadium deemed fund hog
Local filmmaker's 'Golem' ready at last
AM REPORT
'Angel' won't fall from lineup
Answers sought after Hilltop fire
Book helps own ers master canine communication
CCM's theater season stresses art of diversity
Commission: Education should be the focus over politics
Get to it
Great Danes, rescuers need aid months after fire
Just 1 remains on MRDD board
Learning project brings new building
Legal Aid Society gets $350,000 grant approval
Library wins parking spaces
Middletown OKs golf-fee increase
Monroe board sets open enrollment priorities
Nearly all CCM season created in '90s
Proffitt returning to Ohio
Students study a river's life forms
Suspect can't recall shooting
Teen charged in death of friend
Teen saves sister, self from fire
Volunteer groups honored for 'making a difference'
Queen City's moments to shine reflected in book
