From Discovering Macroinvertebrates to Sharing One Final Meal Together, CHSC students Wrapped Up the Year with Water Quality Investigations and Play Outdoors
Written by CI Field Instructor Blaise Miles. Some of the best days don’t need a schedule packed with activities to be unforgettable — they just need good company, a river, and a few thousand macroinvertebrates. That was exactly the recipe for the Colorado High School Charter (CHSC) final Community Adventure Program (CAP) field day of the year, and it delivered on every front.
We packed up our water testing kits and headed to a nearby park for an afternoon of stream ecology, and the students dove in (some almost literally). Armed with nets, ID charts, and a whole lot of curiosity, they waded into the shallows to collect samples and identify the macroinvertebrates hiding among the rocks. There’s nothing quite like watching a student’s face light up when they realize the wriggling little creature in their tray is a mayfly larva — and that its presence actually tells us something real about the health of the water.
That “something real” matters a lot here. CHSC sits in one of the most polluted zip codes in the country, so learning to read the health of a local waterway was a chance for students to see their own environment with new eyes and start asking bigger questions about who gets clean water and why.
But let’s be honest: it wasn’t all serious science. There was plenty of splashing, sand-digging, and creature-hunting for the sheer joy of it. It was an all-girls group, and this trip was a much-needed exhale after a stressful stretch of finals. Students told us how grateful they were for the break, and how much they loved getting even more time together outdoors, especially after growing so close on our earlier camping trip.
We closed out the day (and the school year!) the only way that felt right: gathered around a pot of mac and cheese, sharing the last meal of the school year together before everyone scattered for summer.
Short, sandy, and full of laughter — this field day was the perfect note to end on.
A big thanks to the funders and supporters that make the CAP class possible, including: Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, PeyBack Foundation, Strear Family Foundation, Thorne Nature Experience, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
If you’re also passionate about getting students outside for hands-on learning experiences, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!
