Grade 11-12 Students Explore Aquatic Ecosystems

Our Grade 11 and Grade 12 students participated in their first Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) field trip at Bel Ombre Nature Reserve, in collaboration with Reef Conservation.

The day began with an engaging workshop aboard the “Bus la Mer”, where students learned about diatoms, their ecological importance, and their role in aquatic ecosystems.

A practical fieldwork at the Jacotet River soon followed, where students investigated various indicators of water quality, including pH, salinity and stream velocity/current. Students also carried out a miniSASS (mini Stream Assessment Scoring System) assessment, allowing them to observe and identify small aquatic organisms and explore how their presence, diversity and abundance can be affected by pollution and other environmental factors.

The fieldwork enabled students to appreciate how even tiny organisms can provide valuable information about the health and quality of an ecosystem.

This experience forms an integral part of our students’ participation in this year’s YRE theme, “Small Worlds, Big Futures: Reporting from a Pollinator-Powered 2030,” which encourages young people to investigate, understand and report on the often-overlooked organisms and ecological processes that are essential for biodiversity and a sustainable future.