May 23, 2019
Last week, middle school students had the opportunity to travel to Williamsburg for their end-of-year trip! They had the opportunity to explore Jamestown Settlement and Colonial Williamsburg. Students toured each area of Jamestown, trying their hand at grinding corn and scraping hides. They also learned about a mysterious incident involving John Smith, who was injured by a gunpowder explosion while at Jamestown. Students investigated the question of whether this was an accident or whether someone was targeting the unpopular John Smith. Students learned about the chemistry of gunpowder, watched a demonstration, and tried some modern forensic techniques such as finger-printing in their quest for an answer.
In Colonial Williamsburg, students toured the Governor’s Palace and Capitol Building, taking part in a mock trial and learning about early American history. Some even got to dress up in colonial costumes and play 18th-century yard games!
In addition, students traveled down the James River with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. They learned about sources of pollution in the river and the bay and took abiotic and biotic surveys of the water. After testing the water’s salinity, turbidity, and pH level, along with other factors that affect the biodiversity of the James River, students pulled up nets from the river and cataloged the species in the river.
On the final day, students had fun at Busch Gardens! We’re glad the trip was a success, and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves!
Emily McAllister
Middle School Coordinator
