Evergreen Elementary students learn about soil
By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
In the geotechnical engineering world, “dirt” is pretty much considered to be a dirty word.
These professionals instead focus on the complicated structure, biology and chemistry of different kinds of soil – information that fifth-graders at Evergreen Elementary School dug deep into April 25 during a field demonstration given at school by engineers with Professional Service Industries, Inc. (PSI), of Pewaukee.
They brought equipment and personnel to Evergreen as part of an enhanced, interactive science lesson in the students’ study of soils.
Evergreen’s fifth-grade science lesson on soils sparked the interest of Paul Koszarek, a PSI geotechnical engineer whose son Josh is an Evergreen fifth-grader.
Following discussions and coordinated planning with teacher Becky Frankenfeld, on April 25 a PSI crew and rig came to Evergreen for a fun, hands-on interactive introduction to the sciences/engineering field.
On the practical side, all Evergreen students are now rewarded with new outdoor equipment sunk securely into the playground where PSI agreed to drill last week for soil borings.
“Mr. Koszarek’s presentation to the students was fantastic,” said Frankenfeld. “It provided hands-on learning, and it also peaked many students’ interests in the field of engineering.”
“I learned a lot more than I would learn in class!” wrote Delaney Peterson in a thank-you letter to PSI.
And that was the whole point to the day’s special presentation.
The April 25 event consisted of indoor and outdoor activities.
• The indoor portion included a presentation of soils and an interactive opportunity for all fifth-graders to see, touch, feel and smell different types of soils like gravel, sand, silt, clay, bedrock and topsoil.
“It was a fun, very enjoyable classroom discussion,” said PSI business development manager Trey Brooks.
• The outdoor part included a drill rig field demonstration of how to collect a soil sample.
Student volunteers dressed up in safety gear (hard hat, safety glasses, vest, gloves) and assisted with a device called a split-spoon sampler (pictured above).
Students were then able to observe and classify the different types of soils collected at the Evergreen playground.
“This was the best science class ever!” wrote fifth-grader Erin Prailes.
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