AP Environmental Science (APES) students traveled on a field trip to Cabin John Creek at Locust Grove Nature Center on Monday, Oct. 21.
The field trip was part of the second unit in the curriculum, focused on biodiversity, allowing students to get out and explore nearby areas using knowledge learned in class.
“I liked the field trip since it was a great way to learn about topics we discuss in APES outside of the classroom through hands-on activities. I thought that going to the creek would be interesting and a fun way to learn about biodiversity,” senior Taylor White said.
The creek trip is a yearly APES tradition. Collecting the water seems simple but requires a high level of hands-on activity. The first step in testing the water was using pH tests and measuring the temperature, pH, chloride level and turbidity of the water. Then was the in-water experience of the collection, where students physically got into the creek with mesh bags.
“Collecting the macros [animals without backbones], required us to get into the water and manually rub the bottom of rocks in order to dislodge the inverts and then scoop them up with a net,” junior Sarp Ustundag said.
During the rest of the week students had two labs, with one of them being centered around the trip.
“We were looking at the biodiversity of the creek,” senior Nolan Ross said
For many students, the hands-on learning experience helps them learn the material better.
“I really like all the labs we do since they help me understand topics as I am able to see demonstrations of what certain topics look like in real life,” White said.
Even though the class is challenging, learning about the world and the thousands of elements that come together to make up the environment makes it worth it.
“APES is a fun class mainly because it caters to my interests. At the end of the day, though, it’s still an AP class that requires reading and critical thinking. All in all, if you like nature, the upsides outweigh the downsides,” Ustundag said.
APES is known to be one of the more strenuous science courses offered at WJ and is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Students must complete a prerequisite of biology and a prerequisite of chemistry. The class focuses on earth’s components in the environment around us, such as the atmosphere and climate or geological features.