A Day In the Life of the Hudson

October 11, 2024
It is inherent to Parker’s mission that we nurture ethical awareness and social responsibility in order to cultivate purposeful action. With this in mind, Parker 1-2 and 8th grade students spent this Thursday on the Hudson River as a part of the annual A Day In the Life of the Hudson event. Our 8th graders led our 1-2s through various scientific data collecting stations focused on aquatic life, current speed, water clarity, and dissolved oxygen. Art teacher Claire Sherwood enriched our studies by partnering with RPI to teach the students about Hudson River clay. Lower school science teacher Erin Hinshaw joined with DEC scientists to lead the children through hands-on fish identification. Combining science and art in this interdisciplinary, place-based experience is exactly what a progressive education filled with purposeful action is all about.
1-2 students rotated through various learning stations on the river bank while our 8th graders took on the role of science teachers. Leading up to the event science teacher, John Sherry worked with them to master the water testing stations. The younger students rotated through the stations and learned about aquatic life, current speed, water clarity (or turbidity) and dissolved oxygen. Each group was accompanied by a teacher and parent volunteers, who we were thrilled to have back in action for this first field trip of the year.

The fish identification station always elicits shrieks from both enthusiastic and squeamish students alike. There are always a few students who simply cannot pass up the experience to get up close and personal with their learning. Meanwhile, at another station, 8th graders led younger students through a test to measure the dissolved oxygen in the water. Students have the opportunity to hone their skills of data collection and scientific observation by analyzing water samples collected from the Hudson.
The station measuring current speed and turbidity is always a perennial favorite. This year, Parker 8th graders named and decorated oranges with faces, much to the delight of our 1-2’s. Our younger students were encouraged to cheer as loudly as possible as an orange was thrown in the water. While the orange was traveled downstream, the group pivoted to learn about turbidity. Using a large tube filled with water, Parker 8th graders invited each student to peer down into it and determine whether or not they could see a black and white discus at the bottom. At first, none of our 1-2s could see the disk. However, after slowly lowering the water level in the tube, the 1-2s were excited to see the disk eventually become visible. Our middle schoolers explained the importance of measuring turbidity as an indicator of water quality. The group then concluded by joyfully running downstream to check on their orange and measure its rate of travel to calculate current speed.
One outstanding feature of a Parker education is that our students’ learning connects across multiple disciplines in a way that mirrors real world experiences. This was exemplified at Day in the Life by art teacher Claire Sherwood, who partnered with Sarah Cadieux (a geology professor from RPI) to lead our students through a hands-on history lesson on Albany slip. On the banks of the river, Sarah taught our students about how the Hudson was originally a glacial lake. She then introduced varve, which are layers of sediment that deposit annually. Every year, two layers of varve deposit during both cold weather and warm weather. Warm weather varve is more clay-like; cold weather varve is more silt-like; and the deposits of varve over time is what resulted in Albany slip. Claire then showed the students samples of hardened Albany slip, which they were able to compare to wet clay. Using the wet clay, students then built a rustic pinch pot while discussing how indigenous people might have similarly used the material. In the coming weeks, the children will crush the Albany slip during art class and then glaze and fire their own pots.
Participating in A Day in the Life of the Hudson gives students the tools to act as knowledgeable stewards of our natural resources. The scientific work Parker students do here ignites a love for the environment. Students become advocates for clean water from an early age as they see the importance of their own contributions to the state-wide study. The data they collected will be entered on to a DEC website, and it will be possible for them to compare it to other locations data from the day. Place-based learning, active, interdisciplinary, applied to the real world, and fun! It was a wonderful morning.
Community Work Day
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community to raise a school. This past Saturday, we were blessed with an abundance of community as Parker families, faculty, and friends gathered together for our Community Work Day. Community Work Day is an important event in the year of our school for one obvious reason: We get a LOT done! However, this day is also quite meaningful in the life of our school because it embodies and exemplifies the values we hold most dear: generations coming together in service, caring for each other and our world. 

The importance of our Community Work Day cannot be understated. The hard work and effort our volunteers pour into clearing our trails, weeding and gardening, washing windows…even building a new bridge in the woods!…all goes towards ensuring that our students and faculty can maximize usage of our expansive 77-acre campus. 

Children learn best not by listening to what we say but by watching what we do. In this way, Community Work Day provides a powerful opportunity for our adults to lead by example, showing our children how thoughtful and invested community members take care of shared space and each other. Watching our students work alongside their grown-ups, it is clear that they are brimming with pride and confidence. Sharing the responsibility of work shows our children that we trust them, that they are important, and that we care about the things that matter to them. We ended our day with immense gratitude for this opportunity to gather together and do the work our community does best — joining together to create an even more beautiful Parker.