1. Central Jersey Arts Charter School Grade 7
2014 Field Trip to SeaGrant Consortium
in Sandy Hook, NJ
2. The morning began with hands-on exploration of the
ocean habitat. The students suited up in full length
waders. Anayia gets a little help from her friends.
4. The seining begins. After thorough
instructions from our guide, Sandy, the
patient CJACS marine biologists work
in teams of four to find specimens.
5. Students go waist length into the bay side of the
ocean to use the net. Our guide is so impressed
by the cooperation and teamwork of these
budding scientists.
6. We see the challenges troubled waters
and windy conditions can create.
Everyone is still determined to find
samples. Teamwork is key.
7. Things found include: jellyfish, shrimp,
muscles, snail eggs, hermit crabs, and
tons of plankton and seaweed.
9. Every student had the opportunity to
sein, wade in the beautiful water, and
experience the beauty of nature down
the shore.
10. Time for water sampling and testing. Students
learn how to accurately read a PH of the ocean
water, and whether this is healthy or unhealthy
for the plants and animals of Sandy Hook.
11. Even in downtime, the students are in
awe of the ocean habitat. They cannot
STOP EXPLORING!
12. A huge find by the boys: Horseshoe Crabs. Sandy
showed the students how to identify a male and
female horseshoe crab, by the first claws on
their torso, underside the large shell.
13. Aside from striking poses on the hike
back students learned about flora and
fauna native to the shores of NJ.
14. Back at our base, the Seagrant Consortium at Fort Hancock,
which is the tip of Sandy Hook, the students were still
intrigued. We heard about the history of the Naval Base,
were impressed by the naval yard, and could not believe
the size of the buildings that once housed officers and their
families.
15. The final part of our adventure was so incredible:
actual lab work with specimens students found and
water samples that our CJACS researchers collected
earlier in the day.
16. The hands on marine biology lab is located
inside the Seagrant Consortium itself. Our
students were split into two groups.
Group 1: Electric Microscopes and slide
preparation of seawater and plankton.
Group 2: Analyzed seawater mass and
volume of five cylinders; graphed and
charted findings.
17. After the students prepared their own slides, the
observations of their findings were drawn by each
learning scientist and some strong slides were
projected onto the television screen for discussion.
19. The students were SO excited to come back to
school to tell their friends and teachers about the
field trip, complete with the sandy shoes and wide
smiles as they departed the bus back into CJACS.
This was definitely a unique and FUN experience for
our Plainfield students.
WWW.njseagrant.org
Sandy Hook, NJ
20. Special Appreciation to the Wonderful 7th
Graders at Central Jersey Arts Charter
School, 2014.
Our students’ love of new experiences,
cooperation and teamwork, respect for
each other, and excitement during every
aspect of this field trip made it a true joy to
teach, watch, and learn with them.
-Ms. Katzenell
Middle School ELA Teacher
