Young Middle – Ms. Sethi’s 6th Grade Period 1

Students at Young Middle don’t have to go very far to visit a pond teeming with life. Right across the street from their school, in a highly residential and commercial area of Tampa, there is a large stormwater pond where freshwater turtles, small fish and various birds call home. Despite the evidence of life in this habitat the pond is threatened by an overgrowth of algae, litter and stormwater run-off from busy MLK Blvd.

Students tested the water in the pond and conferred with stormwater expert Ben Koplin, from the City of Tampa Stormwater Dept. and elected to mark stormwater drains in the neighborhood surrounding the pond.