Jack Abrams Sixth Graders Become Water Quality Experts

Image via Huntington Union Free School District

Sixth graders at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School recently grabbed first place in the elementary grade division of the Long Island STEM Hub’s Water Quality Challenge.

The students began researching local water quality last fall and they soon started to focus on the topic of saltwater intrusion.

According to Huntington UFSD: “Saltwater instruction into aquifers and wells has long been a concern on Long Island and in similar seaside communities around the country and the world. It’s been a known problem for hundreds of years and requires ongoing diligence to combat its effects.”

Huntington School District’s STEM coach Donna Moro worked with the students and their classroom teachers.

“Students researched the structure of our groundwater and how much water is used on Long Island,” Moro told Huntington UFSD. “Then the problem solving began. They brainstormed ways we could reduce the amount to water being pumped out of our groundwater supply.”

A group of these sixth graders served as grade level representatives and prepared a written report and presentation on their findings. These students included Ava Brosnan, Joeniell Feliciano-Lopez, Ethan Franciscovich, Carolina Moreira-Ibarra, George Morris, Lily O’Heir, Valerie Rogel and Osiris Shepherd.

The sixth graders presented their findings to a panel of judges last month. Hundreds of students from Nassau and Suffolk County participated in this year’s challenge.

Read more about their findings on the Huntington Union Free School District website.

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