The Upper School traveled to Long Beach Park in Stratford this past Earth Day to visit the marsh and beach on either side of the parking area. Students explored our Earth Day theme of the world’s and ocean’s problems of plastic trash. “Down on the Bayou” or marsh side, students examined the marsh as an ecosystem with a member of the CT Conservation Council and got to hold Mummichogs. Students also conducted demonstrations on and experienced how the marsh acts like a filter to trap sediment and nutrients. On the beach side, teachers led explorations on the amount of plastic in the sound, which plastic items tend to sink or float, and how plastic micro pieces clog marine life. A marsh side clean up and plastic removal was also conducted by the students.