Middle School Experiential Watershed Education Programs
With the help of volunteers and environmental educators, RCA leads annual watershed education field trip programs that reach all 6th graders in Albemarle County’s five public middle schools, and all 7th graders in the City of Charlottesville’s public middle school. During these field trips, students visit a local waterway near their school and participate in scientific water quality testing, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, active learning games, and nature exploration activities. Students evaluate how the condition of a watershed impacts stream health through data-driven comparisons of waterways in different locations.
This program ensures that nearly all middle school students in the Rivanna River watershed can benefit from a field experience that promotes a deeper understanding of the importance of stream health, inspires watershed stewardship, and builds a greater sense of confidence and connection to the outdoors, leading to improved health of the watershed and the community. This program also promotes environmental stewardship by directly engaging students in watershed improvement action projects, like tree planting, whenever possible.
Get Involved!
From March 10th to April 16th, RCA will host 13 days of field trips for 6th grade students from Albemarle County Public Schools and we need your help! Students will rotate through activities with benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, chemical water quality testing, and a fun ecology game called Macroinvertebrate Mayhem.
Frequently Asked Volunteer Questions
Do I need prior education experience?
No experience is required, but we do ask that you have an interest in working with students.
Will I be leading a group alone as a new volunteer?
No! We will pair new volunteers with our experienced volunteers.
Can I learn more about the activities before the field trips?
Yes! We will host a virtual volunteer orientation on Sunday, March 8th at 7PM to walk through each activity.
Do I have to sign up for every day of programming?
No! Sign up for as many or as few days as you are available. However, if you do sign up to help every day, you will receive RCA rock star status!
What time is the programming?
See the calendars below for each day’s schedule.
