Thanks to Earth Force, Pootatuck Watershed Association, Kellogg Environmental Center, the Candlewood Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, and General Motors, locally represented by Ingersoll Auto of Danbury and Chevrolet Northeast Regional Marketing, Reed Intermediate Sschool students were greeted by volunteers and educators near Deep Brook on Thursday, October 8, the first of two days filled with studying the water and area for a GM Green project.

Between the two days, the entire sixth grade completed activities, overseen by volunteers and teachers, near Deep Brook.

According to Pootatuck Watershed Association President Sarah Middeleer, the association, which is a Newtown nonprofit group devoted to water quality and sustainable land use, was appoarched by Earth Force, a national nonprofit devoted to empowers students to help solve environmental problems, to take part in an initiative called GM Green, a conservation educational program.

Reed partnered with funding partner General Motors, and the association agreed to help.

“It was just such a great way for science to come alive for them,” Reed Assistant Principal Jill Beaudry said after both days were completed.

Ms Beaudry helped escort students to and from the school for the project, and, she said, “Every child that I talked to just loved the experience.”

Two years ago, according to Ms Beaudry, a Reed science teacher first had an idea to take his class down to Deep Brook to collect water samples to look for different aquatic critters.

“We used pickle jars to collect our our samples then, and now this activitiy has exploded to a thorougly rich educational experience to our entire population of sixth grade students,” said Ms Beadry.

Reed, Ms Beaudry said, is grateful for all the volunteers who made the day possible.

As Reed math/science specialist Andrew Hall brought one group of students down on Thursday, he said, “It’s awesome to see so many people coming out to support [this idea and our students].”

After dividing the students into groups, Mr Hall helped direct them to different stations for the project.

One group followed Trout Unlimited’s William Bennett to learn about different specimens, some students went with Earth Force’s Kurt Moser to test the water chemically, and one group followed their teacher, Todd Stentiford, to sit near the brook and inspect the area using their senses.

After situating themselves on rocks near the brook, students filled out sheets, under Mr Stentiford’s guidance.

Mr Stentiford told his first group of students on Thursday the creatures they would meet that day, “actually spend their lives maintaining the quality of the water,” before he helped them use their senses to describe the area.

Following both days, Ms Middeleer said the event went smoothly, and on Friday, students identified the “five most wanted” macroinvertibrates, which she said indicates a very high level of water quality at Deep Brook.