Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 133 No. 1 Fall 2011 | Page 5

Middle School News

by Brian Lievens

Water Quality Trip
On Wednesday October 12, the Middle School
department took a field trip to reinforce what the
students have been learning in class about water
quality with Science teacher, Amber Havers. The
students and teachers went to George Williams
College in Williams Bay, Wisconsin where Geneva
Lakes Environmental Agency (GLEA) is located.
Katelyn Miller and
Daniel Orizaba conduct
experiments using various
scientific equipment.

On the docks of Geneva Lake, they met a scientist
named Ted Peters, the executive director of GLEA,
who explained how the Geneva Lake watershed was
formed. Next, the students went to one of the college
classrooms to watch a Power Point about the Water
Cycle and the waters of Geneva Lake. Afterwards,
they toured the air and water quality station in nearby
Linn, which Peters uses to report data about the
area. The next stop took the students and teachers to
Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy (KNC) to collect
water samples and test several water sources there
with electronic probes for pH, alkalinity, dissolved
oxygen, and temperature.

Students learned how to conduct
pH testing of lake water.

Hungry as could be, the students returned to George
Williams College to eat lunch with a waterfront view
of Geneva Lake. After lunch, Peters led the students
down to the lake to collect water samples and to test
the quality of the lake with the probes. Ted showed
the fascinated students two different tools he uses in
his job, the water “bottle” and the water depth disc.
Lastly, everyone went back to the classroom where
the students split into groups to test the water samples
they collected with the chloride and alkalinity testing
kits. It was cool to see the kids doing science with a
scientist who works out in the field!

Apple Holler
All the middle school students earned the privilege of
going on the first quarter reinforcement trip. To earn
this reward, students had to demonstration positive
behavior during the entire first quarter. Apple Holler
near Kenosha was the destination for this fun filled
day of gathering pumpkins and apples. The students
also loved going through the corn maze and feeding
the animals.
Daniel Orizaba and Briana
Robertson use good team work!

Wyatt Stoller and Malia
Christensen explore the corn maze.
Fall 2011 - 5