Royersford Elementary School observes Earth Day

Friday marks a year since the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 men outright and triggered the largest oil spill in the history of the United States. Cleanup efforts continue to this day, and some scientists believe that residual oil and other substances related to the spill will remain in the Gulf's ecosystem for years, if not decades.

As it happens, Friday is also Earth Day.

It was fitting, then, that some students at Royersford Elementary School spent Monday observing Earth Day by learning exactly how difficult it is to clean up simulated "oil spills" in petri dishes, using detergents, cotton balls, and other absorbent materials.

The experiment was one of many presentations and lab activities enjoyed by students in grades 1-4. Other topics explored by the students included solar energy, organic gardening, composting, and paper recycling.