A PRESENTATION OF 2021-2022 STUDENT WORK
MONTE VISTA
MS. ANTHONY’S CLASS
PUBLICATION BY CLASS
The Rio Grande Gazette
A series of articles, comics, advertisements, narratives, and opinion pieces sharing what we’ve learned about caring for our watershed from the RiverXchange Program. We hope our readers will learn and join in as good stewards of our watershed by reading our reflections!
Monte Vista Elementary Publishers present,
From the writers of Ms. Ashley and Ms. Michelle’s classes…
What is a watershed? A watershed is a network of auroras, streams, and rivers that supports the web of life. Some of it will gather in ponds, lakes, and some soaks into the soil into aquifers. As it travels, it will filter the water as goes underground. When the water enters the watershed, it is originally rain or snow melts and that's how it enters the watershed
Wastewater
How our water is cleaned
Do you know where the water that you use goes? Or how it's cleaned? It goes to the wastewater treatment plant. Then it goes into a collection system. After that it goes into a lift station, and then the bar screens which is designed as a filter to sort out rags, plastic and wipes. Step four is the grit chamber which is used to slow down the flow so that solids such as sand, coffee grounds, and eggshells will settle out of the water. After that it goes into the primary clarifier, followed by the aeration basin which is a holding and/or treatment pond provided with artificial aeration to promote the biochemical oxidation of wastewaters. Next it goes onto the secondary clarifier. Step eight is the ultraviolet clarifier. A part of the water is returned to the Rio Grande; the other part of the water is to be cleaned with hypochlorination to reuse. That is where wastewater goes.
Do you know how your wastewater is cleaned? It’s partially cleaned with decomposers.
Donate decomposers
Today!!!
Find decomposer at your neighborhood lettuce or puddle.
Wastewater by Asher
The water that flushes down your toilet can affect the rivers. When you flush toilets, the water goes to a plantation to get cleaned out. Some waste in the water can't be cleaned out of the water, such as expired medicine, trash, bags, and grease. Then once the water gets cleaned, it gets sent into the river. If the trash is in the river, it can seriously damage it.
<--- wastewater treatment plant. --->
Don't flush medicine down the toilet
Especially steroids
The result of flushed steroids
Paid for by BillyBob & Co
Paid for by BillyBob & Co
Small guard
Large guard
Stop flushed objects from going down
the toilet with….
The toilet guard
It stops needles, pills, and other hard objects, but not poop and toilet paper!!!
If you buy this product still don't flush needles, pills, and other hard objects.
The Toilet Guard
Drinking Water
All the ways we use water inside and outside our house
Sally the Washing Machine
Do you think that you waste water when you put clothes in the washing machine? Well in case you didn't know, washing machines use 19 to 30 gallons a wash.. Well not anymore. Our new Sally the Washing Machine only uses 1 to 12 gallons of water. That is less than 19 gallons of water
It washes, it dries, it folds. Behold the all NEW Sally the Washing Machine
Scan the QR code* to buy the all new Sally the Washing Machine
The new Sally the Washing Machine will be the best washing machine for saving our drinking water, and that is one big thing you can do to save water.
It is only $500,000,000
*Not a real QR code. We are 5th graders after all.
When you save the 6 through 11 gallons water by using the new washing machine, you can help the planet plant more trees. Our water that we drink will last longer. While you save the water, you will save your energy, time, and money on your energy bill by letting Sally fold all your clothes. When you have a very high bill from the water bill, you will save money by using our Sally the Washing Machine
Sally saves you money on your energy bill and you will have more money in your pocket for gas
Stormwater
Water’s journey from cloud to river, and the things it might encounter along the way
Dear Editor: I am writing to you to say that I think our school isn’t saving water! For example, I saw some kids once dumping water bottles, soda cans, and milk cartons on the ground. Then they leak and spill all over the ground. It’s a huge waste of water, soda, and milk! The school has tried to tell people to throw away these liquids or save them for later, like the bucket that people dump the milk into. People aren’t being responsible with their materials. They aren’t being respectful or kind. Because not only does spilling milk and other liquids waste it, but it is hard to clean up, and we need to be kind to our custodians.
Sincerely: A student
Dear Student: I agree with what you are saying. The custodians deserve to be treated with respect, and the environment around the school deserves to be treated correctly. It’s sad some students aren’t doing that. The important thing is to get out the word. Keep trying to send the message. It’s good that you care, and you can make a difference.
Sincerely: Editor
Dear Editor: Good news, my school has started a slideshow all about our environment. We are talking about how humans have affected the river and the Bosque. It is important not only to have respect for our school, but also the forest and all of Albuquerque. I hope that this slideshow will make an impact and keep the school ground clean. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I believe our school can make a difference.
Sincerely: A student
Dear Student: It’s great that your school is doing that. I bet that will help keep your school clean. Good luck, and tell the students to pick up their trash at recess, and if possible, pick up any trash they see on campus, outside, or in the Bosque.
Sincerely: Editor
Rain
A RainDrop's journey
At first I was hanging around with friends, and then all of a sudden I was falling. Down, down, down. I dove until I went splat! On to something slimy, on something brown. And when I looked up I saw a dog’s bottom. Then I put two and two together… I HAD LANDED ON DOG DUNG! My body was crawling with e coli. My next run in was with my ninety nine brothers. We went sliding down the hill at full speed. We picked up a wrapper on our way down. Next, the terror of human’s shoes forced us to swallow shoe dirt. I made sure to splash their ankles as we traveled out of human town. Our next stop was THE PLAYGROUND where we got stuck in sticky, icky gum. But the worst stop of all was the bosque. Me and my ninety nine brothers went twirling and whirling with a small snail, Who made us go slow. it was sooo boring. Now our Journey has ended. splash, we’re back in the river with germs and a sad smile. That is my journey, one I will remember forever.
There once was a raindrop who swallowed some dung
I don’t know why. I think it stung
There once was a raindrop who got covered in E. Coli
And I don't think it was a lie,
There once was a raindrop who tumbled and bumbled with his ninety nine brothers, through some trash that got all fumbled.
There once was a raindrop who some swallowed shoe dirt. I don't know why, but don't try.
There once was a raindrop who ate some bubble gum,
I think it hurt his tummy tum.
There once was a raindrop who got stuck with a snail.
It was so slow the rain drop grew hair.
There once was a raindrop who went splash,
back to the river at last.
There Once was Raindrop - A Nursery Rhyme
I SWALLOWED SOME DUNG IT STUNG!
PICK UP YOUR DOG DUNG!
KEEP OUR RIVER SAFE!
Please don´t
JURASSIC RIVER
Don’t litter or leave your dog’s poop because when it rains, it will get picked up and put in the river!
Our Changing River
A look at how the Rio Grande has changed throughout history
THE PAST
THE PRESENT
If we help the Rio Grande this is what the future of the Rio Grande might will look like.
When the Spanish came to New Mexico after some time they wanted to move closer to the river, but because they did not want for their houses to get flooded, they started to put dams. This also made animals move to other places. Humans also wanted the river to be straight, so they put levees and jetty jacks. We have made many changes to the river, and they might not mean anything now, but in the future it will. It might get way too dry around the river. We need to let it flood again!
Did you know the river used to flood every spring all the way up to 5th street?
Did you know that the Rio Grande was mostly curvy and NOT straight before humans came?
If we don’t help the Rio Grande it might look like this.
Where the river starts.
THE PAST
This is what the river looked like before humans came
The river is clean and clear
Our river is brown and polluted
This is what our river looks like now
Our river is more straight from levees
Our river is running out
What we hope the river looks like in the future.
See?
Clean and clear is way better than brown.
Help The Rio Grande
Help the environment by doing these things.
Pole Planting
Our Field Trip!
This picture shows the holes that we dug and the trees that we planted on our field trip. We used augers to make the holes deeper until we got to water, and then we chose a tree for our hole. We called, “tree check!” and someone would make sure our tree was evenly in the water.
The students gathered around Ashley, augers in hand. “Why did Ashley bring us out here. And where are the tour guides?” Amy scoffed this to Kate, who shrugged. None of the students really knew what they were doing here.
Currently the students of Ashley’s fifth grade stood in the Bosque with no tour guide. The kids had started to grow impatient and were talking amongst themselves.
“Our guide isn’t here,” deduced Max.
“No kidding,” Kyle said back.
“Quiet class,” Ashley told them, then she thought for a moment. “I’m sure someone will come. For now, let’s start our work of planting trees.” The whole class broke into a chatter.
“What do we do?”, “Wait, Ashley said nothing about trees!” “I want to go home,” were some of the things said.
Joe arose from the chatter and yelled to Ashley, “Who will tell us what to do!” The whole class stopped talking, Joe didn’t normally speak, especially yell.
“Well, I am an expert on trees. I have done this for thousands of years!”
“Really?” Sparrow asked.
Ashley looked down at him, “No, not really. I’ve done this one or twice though. I will message RiverXchange. For now here’s what we must do.” So the teacher explained that they needed to find a group of three and pick one of the many holes around the Bosque area. Using the augers (long poles that scooped out the dirt at the bottom of the eight foot hole), they would dig until the dirt turned to mud, and exposed water that was found at the water table.
“Albuquerque’s water table is far below the surface. You’re going to need to dig deep.” Ashley then gave them some safety tips. “Lower the auger slowly to the ground, don’t hit anybody, and watch out for any holes!”
“What?!” Kate shouted as her and Amy ran off with a auger. That was when Kate fell into a hole. Before she fell in fully, she scrambled up to the safety of solid ground. Kate brushed it off like nothing had happened, and began helping Amy turn the auger. To get the auger to pick up dirt, you had to turn it three times. Then you would lift it up and dump out the dirt. When Max tried to do this ,though, he wasn’t expecting the pole to be so heavy.
Trees-a revised story about Ashley’s class planting cottonwood saplings
With all his strength he pulled it, and watched as it didn’t move.
“Ashley, this is hard.” Ashley paid no mind to Max. She was busy helping Rain. Gerald and Rain had already started to figure the contraption out. They worked together taking turns twisting and pulling it out as Ashley directed them.
“I’ll do it.” Sparrow muttered under his breath. He pulled the auger out of the dirt and fell backward (because the pole pulled him backward since he had the majority of it behind him). Before touching the ground, the pole gently touched Kyle’s shoulder, as if in slow motion. Kyle cried out.
“Watch it dude!”
“Sorry!” Sparrow set it down and heaved a big sigh. Instead of taking the loud approach that Kyle’s group had, Blue and Joe were moving swiftly and silently. They didn’t talk to each other unless they needed to, like when they hollered for the other person to get out of the way or help them twist the auger. Their group found water first after thirty minutes. By now the kids were so tired they had decided to rest and drink some water. Before, they had been excited about skipping school, but now they were tired of doing manual labor for RiverXchange.
The kids became so blinded by hunger and fatigue that they started groaning to each other instead of using words.. Amy brushed off the dirt from her pants, and started describing what it was like to fall in the hole to Max. “My life flashed before my eyes, and then Kate saved me! I almost ripped my jeans on a tree root, but I dodged it.
Over half the kids had fallen into holes, even after hearing Ashley’s words. The only ones who had escaped such traumatic experiences were Joe, Blue, Gerald, Max, and Ashley. This list was then shortened when Max fell inside of a deep hole. Kyle pulled him out, with Sparrow waiting to steady Max. He was shaking all over, and dropped onto the muddy ground. Kyle’s group had also found water, and had left the mud scattered around their work area.
By now Blue and Joe were planting their cottonwoods. They were planting cottonwoods because they are starting to die out and the new seedlings can’t grow into saplings and then large trees because of humans impact on the river. By planting the saplings with no roots touching water, it will stimulate them to grow roots and grow into healthy, strong trees. This is what kept the students working - knowing that they were making a great impact on the forest. Blue carried a few trees over and set her bundle down. Carefully they placed the trees down into the dirt, and admired their hard work.
Now their hole was at least twelve feet deep. Slowly Blue and Joe gathered the dirt into the hole to erase all evidence that there had ever been a hole there.
An two hours had passed, most of the kids had dug at least one hole, and the RiverXchange presenter was not there. Ashley was still trying to contact the presenter, so the class was stuck there until the buses came back. Once everyone had dug two holes, (and fallen into at least one hole), Ashley decided they would do no more. The students were pleased by this, and sat down to eat their lunches.
While they did so, Ashley told them about how humans had affected the river. They had placed ditches around the river to stop the flooding. They had also built dams. All of this changed the shape of the river. Once it had winded this way and that, now it was perfectly straight. And now the river never flooded, making many animals move.
Humans had also introduced invasive plants that took the water, space, and sunlight from native plants. Once these invasive species came, they couldn’t be stopped. An example of this is the Russian Olive.
Once everyone was well rested after a game of duck duck goose, the class went on a hike.
“Keep your eyes peeled for porcupines,” Ashley whispered to the group. It didn’t take them long to find one, and the class burst into chatter. “Quiet class, we must be quiet around the Bosque because we don’t want to disturb any animals.”
The class fell into a respectful silence. By the time they came back to their tree planting site, the buses were at the lot outside the forest. Ashley had gotten in contact with the RiverXchange presenter. It turned out the times had been wrong. When the kids came back to school they thought about what they had learned. It had been a long, tiring process that had made their muscles ache and their hands formed blisters, but it had been fantastic.
When they came back the class recorded how many times each person had fallen into a hole:
Kyle Rain Joe Sparrow Blue Amy Kate Max Gerald Ashley
3 2 0 5 0 1 1 4 1 0
Note: We had a presenter with us, that part of the story was made up. No children were harmed in the real and fictional story.
Interviews
By Charly
Questions
Answers
People
Norah
Irene
Orion
Adelyn
What was something you already knew?
What do you feel like was the most important thing you learned?
Do you think helping the earth is important?
Why do you think we are or are not helping the earth enough?
¨I knew we had to dig really deep to find water on the field trip.¨
¨I think most important thing was that we need to take care of our river and find ways it make it better.¨
¨I think helping the earth is essential because pollution is going to destroy the planet.¨
¨I feel like we are not helping the earth enough because people are still littering.¨
Questions
Answers
People
Miles
Ayana
Taven
Lemonia
Do you think you learned a lot or already knew a lot?
What’s one change you’d like to see people start making today?
What do you think was most important that you learned?
Why do you think it’s important to help the earth?
¨I think I learned a decent amount but I did know a lot too.¨
¨I want to see people stop throwing trash on the floor.¨
¨Probably to stop wasting water because it takes a long time to get it clean.¨
¨I think it is very important because we live here and we will die if our home dies.¨
Questions
Answers
People
Rosalyn
Madeliene
Sydney
Michael
Why do think we are or aren’t helping our earth enough?
Do you think you learned a lot or do you think you already knew a lot?
What’s one change youd like to see people start making?
What do you feel like was most important that you learned?
¨I think we are selfish humans and aren’t helping enough¨
¨I think I knew some things but I think I did learn a lot.¨
¨I guess less taking the earth for granted and using all its water.¨
¨Probably that planting trees will help and what will help.¨
Questions
Answers
People
Sofia
Eliohn
Do you think helping the earth is important?
Why do you think we are or aren’t helping the earth enough?
¨I think helping the earth is important because in the future if we don’t help it could get worse.¨
¨I think we aren’t because people go around and litter.¨
MONTE VISTA
MS. KUECHMANN’S CLASS
Preserving and Conserving our Watershed
Preserving Water.
We need to preserve our water because we only have a limited amount of it. Less than 3% of our water is freshwater, the type of water we drink. We can’t drink salt water because there is so much salt in saltwater that it actually dehydrates us instead of hydrating us. We can do simple things such as taking five minute showers, turning off the faucet when we aren’t using it, and use aerators on your faucets, to save water. Albuquerque has two main sources of water. The aquifer, and the river. Eventually we might run out of water from the aquifer and river, so we have to try and save some of it. We learned about the water treatment plant and all the different things they do to the water. We also learned about which things use lots of water and how to limit them. We took a field trip to the Bosque and together we planted 70 trees! A long time ago we ridericted the river so now the Bosque doesn’t flood anymore and the trees don’t get as much water as they used to so we have to plant more trees. Me and my friends planted 4 trees together. It was interesting how you planted them. You dug a hole and then used a weird shovel type thing to dig it super deep. The holes had to be 10-12 feet deep so the trees could be below the water table and get the water they needed.
A great way to preserve water is…
Drip irrigation system
In new mexico farmers use drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is a machine that drips water on plants. Farmers use drip irrigation for a lot of reasons, some of the main reasons that farmers use drip irrigation is first it saves water. It is also more affectionate than flooding fields.
The thing humans use water for around 50 to 60 percent of all the water is showers, showers can be cut down to 5 min showers and washing your face brushing your teeth you can do in the shower to save water.
The average human uses 82! Gallons of water a day and that is way to much water for each human we have 8 billion people in the world and each one uses 82 gallons of water in one day
There is something under the rio grande called the aquifer the aquifer is extra water if we really need it studies show that the aquifer is very big and if we didn't have the aquifer we would have to use around 45 gallons a day witch is almost impossible
Trees
When we went to the boscay we planted trees for the environment and we learned about how the water runs under ground and how we plant trees. When we had a presentation from a water expert we learned how the water cycle works and what we need for our water cycle and something interesting the expert told us what they have found in the water cycle and she showed us how big we thought the rio grande was and we thought it was pretty big but she showed us it is actually small and she showed us how the rio grande works. We also planted over 70 trees on that field trip
Planting cottonwood trees
This year my class had a field trip to the Rio Grande river to plant trees. We planted about 70 trees. The first step to planting a cottonwood tree is first, dig a hole near the river about twelve (12) feet deep using this really long digging tool. Second, when you reach watery mud you can put your cottonwood tree trimming in the hole. Third, get a tree check. A tree check is where an adult checks to see if the hole is good.forth, put mud in the hole and then start to add the sand, make sure that you occasionally pat the mud and sand down so that it's tight. That is how to plant a cottonwood tree.
MAGGIE CORDOVA
MS. SHAFER’S CLASS
Water Conservation�
Ms. Shafer’s 5th grade at Maggie Cordova Elementary School
Danae
James
Isabella
Bennett
Javon
Lezleigh
Bella
Brianna
Rylee
Bailey
Marcus
Maddy
Jack
Joy
Daetwon
Tyce
Ramon
Kadience
Noah
Aubree
Nehemiah
Gage
Soleil
Jackson
Trey
Thanks!
Do you have any questions?
cindy.shafer@rrps.net
Please keep this slide for attribution
NORTH VALLEY ACADEMY
MR. ROGER’S CLASS
Keeping Our Water Clean
By
Mr. Rogers’ 5th Grade Class at North Valley Academy
Why should we keep our water clean?
How can we keep our water clean?
To better understand our local fauna, each student in our class chose a different animal to research. The only criteria the students were given was that the animal they chose had to live in or around our beautiful bosque. Once the students had finished their animal presentation, they shared their research with their families in order to educate others on the importance of our local riparian environment. To complete their research project, and to add a little artistic flare, the students created a sculpture of their chosen animal. Below are some photos of the students hard at work on their sculptures as well as some of their finished products.
Photo Credits
1st Slide
The Rio Grande valley. Credit: (C)2009 Jaime c. Jordan
2nd Slide
https://www.corrales-nm.org/parksrec/page/corrales-bosque-preserve
3rd Slide
Rio Grande Bosque in the Fall by Steve Muncy
4th Slide
All photos taken by Jonathan Rogers @ North Valley Academy
LA MESA
MR. ACKERMAN’S CLASS
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
An amazing way to tell what a watershed is
A watershed is someplace that captures water from a high place to a low place.
Example:our watershed, the Rio Grande, starts in the colorado mountains to New Mexico.the river starts high to low. There's other watersheds such as sewers, other rivers and clouds could even be watersheds.And this is one way how water moves.Water can go from high to a low place.
There's a place called an aquifer which is a body of permeable(liquids or gases passing through it.) rock which can contain or transmit groundwater.
At least 6 fun ways to protect water.
Here are 6 ways to protect our water
1. We could send boats out to pick up trash from the ocean.
2.We could get rid of the smoke from the factories.
3.We could make a machine that can get rid of oil in the water.
4.We could send submarines to pick up the plastic bags in the ocean.
5.We could also turn off water and electricity that were not using
6.The last thing we could do is use cold water.
COCHITI
MS. CLELAND’S CLASS
CAMPUS CLEAN-UP POSTERS
MLK
MS. SCHAPEKAHM’S CLASS
A STUDY OF SCHOOL WASTE
417 STUDENTS PLANTED 495 TREES IN THE BOSQUE THIS PAST WINTER & SPRING!
COTTONWOOD AND COYOTE WILLOW POLE PLANTING FIELD TRIPS