Sixth Grade Explores Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem

From crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay to marsh mucking on Port Isobel, sixth graders found themselves immersed in a diverse and dynamic Maryland ecosystem during their annual overnight field trip last week.
Students spent two days on Smith Island or the nearby Port Isobel, where they learned about conservation issues that impact the Bay. The following is a recap of the experience from the student’s perspective:

After getting to school early and taking a long bus ride over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, we arrived at Crisfield, where we boarded a ferry boat and met our trip leaders.

When we arrived at our destination, we unloaded our bags, took a survey, and played a game where we learned the parts of a crab pot, which fishermen use to catch crabs.

“I liked the crab pots and learning about them, how they have intricate components that let baby crabs out and keep adults in,” said Devin Stewart. We then took turns dropping the crab pots into the Bay.

The next day we got up early and put on our throwaway clothes – we were going marsh mucking! We walked to the marshes and sometimes got our feet stuck in the mud on the way. We learned how marshes clean water and feed animals, and then played games where we hid in the marshes and slogged through the mud.

Dilan Graf-Suleman was one of the first kids in the mud and didn’t hesitate to get messy. “When you go in, you’ve got to be the role model,” he said.

We washed up, hung our clothes to dry and went back on the water to retrieve our crab pots. The group at Port Isobel caught more than 20 crabs. Throwing the leftover crab bait, menhaden fish, to the seagulls was definitely a highlight.

Next we had the opportunity to touch Bay critters including soft-shell crabs and seahorses. No surprise, this included taking photos of each other with crabs hooked on the brim of our hats and even on our earlobes.

“I liked the boat because I like being on the water. I also liked playing with the crabs and the seaweed,” said Leah Facciobene.

We ended our day with a night hike, where some of us saw a shooting star soar across the sky.

“I liked how I couldn’t see where I was going. You had to rely on your friends,” said Nikeon Azad.

In between our activities, we worked in teams to prepare meals. When we weren’t cooking, we enjoyed “green time,” free time spent outdoors. We played basketball, baseball, and card games. Many of us grabbed fishing nets and caught oyster shells and blue crabs.

“During green time they let you explore. That’s a good experience because you get to do whatever interests you,” said Jovan Greene.

Our advice to the fifth graders – look forward to the trip and the friendships you will make.

“You feel more connected to your peers and you feel more like a family,” said Gabi Henderson.

“It’s not something you can do everyday. You can meet really cool people here and have really cool moments,” said Mia Meyer.

Click here to learn more about St. Andrew’s Episcopal School academics.
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St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.