Biology Students Dive Into the Wonderful World of Water
By Emma Risinger
On Wednesday, September 21, Pierce High’s biology teacher, Mrs. Deb Koehlmoos loaded up a van with 10 of her best biology students and set out for Gilman Park. The group attended the 2022 Wonderful World of Water. In this agri-science event, students from Niobrara, Norfolk Catholic, Allen, Elgin, Pope John, Wausa, and Pierce partook in various water-related activities.
There were a total of 10 events divided into two tracts.
On the 1st track were Aubrey Hanson, Taydym Koch, Natalie Kosch, Skyler Scholting, and Elijah Streff. Their activities were called “Kerplunk with Nitrates”, “Slow it Down! Soak It In”, “Don’t Treat Your Soil Like Dirt”, “Owl Description”, and “Aquatic Insects”.
On the 2nd track were Scarlett Babl, Ava Knox, Claudia Riggert, Alexis Sporleder, and Amelia Ahlers. The activities they participated in were “Wetlands”, “Groundwater the Chemistry”, “Water and the Body”, “Turtle Description”, and “Trees”.
Each activity had a small quiz at the end, and however many questions each group answered correctly throughout the day were totaled up. All attending schools had one team for each track. Out of all groups on the first track, Pierce’s team came first, and on the second track, Pierce’s team came second.
At the end of the day, there was a special activity, a water rocket launching contest. There were various prizes for best design, farthest distance launched, and more. Pierce’s group received first place in best rocket design.
Hanson reportedly really enjoyed the day’s experiences. She said, “My favorite part of the day was when we shot the bottle rockets, and got to see how our hard work launched into the sky.”
The Wonderful World of Water program would not be possible without the many natural resources professionals from across the area who volunteer their time each year to share their expertise and work with students who might be interested in a career related to natural resources. They come from a variety of agencies including: The Natural Resources Conservation Service; UNL Nebraska Extension; Nebraska Game and Parks; Papio-Missouri River NRD; Upper Elkhorn NRD, Lewis & Clark NRD, Lower Niobrara NRD, and Lower Elkhorn NRD. The Wonderful World of Water was sponsored this year by: the Upper Elkhorn NRD; Lower Elkhorn NRD; Lower Niobrara NRD; and, Lewis and Clark NRD.
The event was designed to make more high school students aware of various ecological concerns and topics surrounding water in agriculture, and according to Koehlmoos, it has done just that: “I think it is very worthwhile. As the students rotate through the stations they learn about different concerns with the environment. It makes us more self-aware.”