Oakley School
Oakley, UT

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Oakley Students Map The Pond
Depth In A Hands-On Science Experiment

Fall semester of 2012, the Environmental Science class at Oakley School took on the enormous task of mapping the depth of the Oakley School pond. Students designed the lab procedure for setting up a grid of data points, collecting depth readings, organizing the data on a spreadsheet, drawing contour lines of the depth, and finally creating an accurate map of the pond.

The highlight of this project was having students walk into the murky pond (usually in their oldest trail or wilderness clothing) and use meter sticks to measure the depth to the bottom. Students walked in a straight line heading north and took measurements every 2 meters, then shouted the depth to a friend on shore who recorded the data.

Students usually work in pairs of two in the water at a time wading through lily-pads and cattails, sometimes scaring up the local population of red-wing blackbirds.

"It's hard not to laugh when standing waist-deep in the pond or watching on shore," said Mr. Jay Williams, Biology and Life Sciences Teacher. "And yes, I have been in the water myself."

Mr. Williams has enjoyed having students doing hands-on science during this project. "We have done this lab three or four times over my eight years of being at Oakley, but never did I have a group complete the lab so professionally," said Mr. Williams. "No class prior to this year's had ever drawn such an accurate, readable map."

Oakley School is very proud of the professional work done by the students in this class. This intense lab took 2 months from start to finish. Their contour map is framed at the end of the hallway outside Mr. William's classroom-it stands as a testament to their hard work and dedication. Great work students! To view more photos of the pond mapping project, click here.

Jay Williams
Biology and Life Sciences Teacher

Oakley School is a therapeutic boarding school for adolescents who are willing to work cooperatively in a rigorous academic program toward an integrated, healthy lifestyle and ready to learn to deal with life's choices in a structured environment.