Fishing, soil, birding just a few lessons TSC students experience during annual Field Day

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tippecanoe School Corp. elementary students were able to experience an out-of-the-ordinary school day on Thursday, getting a hands-on experience in learning about the world around them through their annual Field Day.

Just outside James Cole Elementary school past the baseball diamond and parking lots, second-grade students were joined by fellow TSC students from Mintonye Elementary as they spent roughly half an hour at different learning stations surrounding the school's pond and natural wetlands area.

Monica Christopher, an educator for the Tippecanoe County Partnership for Water Quality, said the goal in partnering with local schools and other county-wide organizations to host the day of outdoor learning is to give students an up close experience in environmental education.

"This is a chance for them to learn more about the environment that surrounds them and to be in touch with nature," Christopher said. "There is more to life than just what is learned in textbooks, and we are trying to give them a memorable experience."

The lifecycle of a dragonfly and aquatic macroinvertebrates, the basics of birding, fishing and casting a line, and the basics of how our water is treated were just a few of the sessions students had the opportunity to learn from.

Derek Stephen, a storm water technician for Lafayette Renew, and Caitlin Young, a customer service manager for Lafayette Renew, spent their day teaching students about how the city of Lafayette's water works, answering their questions like, why streets sometimes flood, or why isn't it okay to flush medicine down the toilet.

Armed with a jar filled with billons of microorganisms, Young said having props like this helps young students visualize the science behind how the water coming from their home's taps is cleaned. Another strong visual for students, Stephen explained, starts by asking if any of them have ever been to Walt Disney World.

"We explain to them how we have 500 miles of sewer pipe in Lafayette, so if they've ever been to Disney World, then that distance is about half way there," Stephen said. "Another thing we ask them is if they can guess what the biggest thing we've ever found in the sewers is, which was a picnic table, and that's a way we can help them visualize how big some of these pipes are, because you could drive a truck through some of them."

On the other side of the pond, Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Matt Tholen was helping students bait hooks while teaching them how to effectively cast their lines. On a line Tholen had cast himself that he'd leaned against a tree, he began to get a bite.

"It's a big one," Tholen smiled, gesturing for a student to come over to help him reel the fish in.

Ava Jones, a second grader from Mintonye Elementary, stepped up, reeling in the fish with a little support from Tholen. The catch? A largemouth bass.

Jones said she fishes frequently with her family in New Richmond, where she reeled a catfish in onto the water's bank. The largemouth bass was comparable to her biggest catch, Jones said.

David Forsell, senior vice president of Keep America Beautiful, said the non profit and its local affiliates, like Keep Stockwell Beautiful, are committed to helping support the lessons students learn through activity days such as this.

"I was very interested to hear that at this school if kids are having a bad day, they'll send the child out to do a little fishing," Forsell said. "There is data that is super clear about how it is that green places tend to reduce anxiety and reduce depression. So, beauty is one thing, but it really is impactful in terms of people's peace of mind to be be connected to nature. For these kids, it's wonderful lesson that they're probably not even understanding, but it's really impactful."

Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached by email at jellison@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ellison_writes.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: How TSC students learn about natural resources during annual Field Day