Photo furnished
Giraffe feeding by Kiley Will with Dalton Rogers and Cullen Dyer looking on.

Hands on Experience for Sullivan Students

•June 29, 2016•

By Lori Kirk and Troy Rogers
For the News Progress

If you ever think the world is in trouble, take a trip with 28 young people and it will change your perspective.

Recently 28 Sullivan students took part in a scientific adventure to the Tampa Bay area where they were immersed in aquatic habitats to understand the interconnections between ourselves and the environment.

Students participated in hands-on learning experiences involving ocean water, brackish water, and fresh water springs.

They were able to snorkel with sea manatees well over 2000 pounds, snorkel in a spring fed river alive with all sorts of organisms, and dip net in gulf water grass beds where they found 33 different species to participate in data collection. They also picked up more than five pounds of trash off the beach while talking about the amount of plastic currently in our oceans.

Students participated in two different dissections of spiny dogfish shark obtained from bi-catch and also a squid dissection.

Connections between concepts discussed in class with the adaptations of the organisms such as buoyancy, flight, and energy transfer through food webs were made.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.