GM's donation lets pupils test the water

One sponsor is dedicated to creating an environmentally educated generation.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Volney Rogers Junior High School pupils will be able to test the quality of water in a stream near their school year-round, thanks to a donation by General Motors Lordstown.
Volney Rogers has been participating in the Mahoning River Education Project for four years, and seventh-graders previously got involved in only two-weeklong water quality investigation studies of Ax Factory Run, a tributary of Mill Creek and the Mahoning River.
This donation of testing materials will allow the pupils to do hands-on science and community experiments all year long, according to Earth Force, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a generation of young people who are environmentally educated citizens.
Other sponsor
The seventh-grade water quality field trips and learning stations are sponsored in part by GM and the Earth Force Global Rivers Environmental Education Network.
The equipment was presented to the school Wednesday, and, after the ceremony, seventh-graders immediately tested the water at Ax Factory Run.
Once the pupils collect the water samples, they are able to identify a problem to research, evaluate legal and community considerations and design and implement a plan of action.
"The partnership with Earth Force and GM Lordstown is pivotal to the success of the project," said Holly Burnett-Hanley, coordinator of the Mahoning River Education Project. "This year, more than 1,350 students will do stream monitoring and water testing at local streams with the guidance and mentoring Earth Force Staff and GM professionals."
The Mahoning River Education Project is administered by YSU's Center for Urban and Regional Studies and partners with five local school districts.
For more information on Earth Force, visit www.earthforce.org or www.green.org.