Currents of Curiosity: Waterschool summer programs build knowledge, confidence and stewardship in the Confluence District

by Jolena Pang | November 3, 2025 | Aquatic Organisms

A beautiful bright partly cloudy sky is reflected in a river as a canoe with many passengers paddles by. In the background is a tree-filled shoreline.

TRIO Talent Search students from St. Louis Community College paddle downstream from Mosenthein Island on the Mississippi River. All photos courtesy of the author.

EAST ALTON, IL — Summer 2025 — More than 70 young learners met the Mississippi River up close this summer through the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s (NGRREC) Camp Waterschool and Waterschool Field Experiences—programs that blend outdoor adventure, environmental science and community connection.

What is Waterschool?

A close-up of a crayfish held by a young woman identifying macro invertebrates from a water sample obtained from a nearby river. In the background are green leafy trees. Blue sky peeks through the canopy above. — A Lewis and Clark Community College YouthBuild AmeriCorps participant holds a crayfish—one of many macroinvertebrates found in local streams and rivers.

Waterschool USA is a grant‑funded initiative within NGRREC’s Education Department, made possible through the Swarovski Foundation’s generous support. Its mission is simple yet urgent: to build water literacy and stewardship among youth who live near the world’s great rivers.

Situated in the three‑river Confluence Region—between the Mississippi’s meeting with the Missouri River to the south and its confluence with the Illinois River to the north—NGRREC has hosted the Waterschool USA program for nearly a decade. Program Manager Jolena Pang coordinates and leads Waterschool activities, tailoring hands‑on lessons for schools and student groups across the Metro East and greater St. Louis region.

“We want students to see themselves as scientists and caretakers of these ecosystems,” Pang said. “By the end of camp, they realize water connects everything—our communities, our wildlife and our future.”

Camp Waterschool: Hands‑on science for every age

A scientist closely examines a a macro invertebrate in a water sample while two students watch the process. In the background is a rocky ledge. — TRIO Upward Bound students from SIUE’s East St. Louis Center sort and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates.

Across June and July, Camp Waterschool ran four consecutive, four‑day camps: two through College for Kids at Lewis and Clark Community College (L&C) for elementary and middle‑school students, one with SIUE East St. Louis Center’s TRIO Upward Bound cohort and one with L&C’s YouthBuild AmeriCorps cohort.

Camp Waterschool with College for Kids

Both the Elementary and Middle School camps reached full enrollment, with 14 campers each. From the first tug of a paddle to the surprise wriggle of a mayfly larva, campers investigated aquatic habitats, sampled for macroinvertebrates, and explored how river systems sustain both wildlife and people. Each week ended with a Big Muddy Adventures canoe trip—introducing many students to paddling for the first time.

Camp Waterschool with SIUE East St. Louis Center’s TRIO Upward Bound

In late June, rising freshmen and sophomores from SIUE East St. Louis Center’s TRIO Upward Bound—including students from Madison High School, Cahokia High School and East St. Louis Senior High—spent the week examining local flooding and stormwater issues, testing the water quality of the Mississippi River (chemical testing), testing the water quality of NGRREC’s ponds (biological testing) and paddling on the Mississippi River. Students learned about rainscaping and stormwater solutions, even designing potential rain gardens for the most floodprone areas in their communities, connecting science learning to real‑world problem‑solving.

Students wearing blue hard hats and yellow high visibility vests observe the a clarification pool from behind a railing on top of a concrete retaining wall at wastewater treatment plant. In the background is a forest, and a bright blue sky is overhead. — YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants from Lewis and Clark Community College observe the secondary clarification stage at Illinois American Water’s wastewater treatment plant in Alton.

Camp Waterschool with L&C’s YouthBuild AmeriCorps

In July, YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants from Lewis and Clark Community College joined a career‑focused Camp Waterschool. Conservation lessons paired with workforce exploration, including site visits to Illinois American Water’s drinking‑water and wastewater facilities. Students saw firsthand how treatment plants safeguard community health—and the many careers that make it possible.

Beyond the Camps: Waterschool Field Adventures

First Steps into the Field: TRIO at Lewis & Clark

Staci D. Westfall‑Herron, Manager of Upward Bound at Lewis and Clark Community College, met with Pang in spring 2025 to connect her TRIO summer cohort to Waterschool programs. For the group’s first outing, NGRREC staff led a wetland field day where students donned waders and stepped into constructed wetland ponds—designed to model natural wetland function—to sample aquatic macroinvertebrates and practice field methods.

“I really enjoyed Waterschool—it definitely opened my eyes a little, in terms of the outdoors,” said student Raushad Poindexter. “I liked getting in the pond and the river. Everything was so hands‑on and really fun.”

A group of students use drip nets to sample aquatic macro invertebrates at a wetland. Trees are in the background. — TRIO Upward Bound students from Lewis and Clark Community College use dip nets to sample for aquatic macroinvertebrates at NGRREC.

Jamia Hardimon added, “When I first heard about Waterschool, I didn’t know what to expect, but I loved how welcoming everyone was—and paddleboarding in the bay was my favorite part. Ten out of ten and I recommend it!”

The collaboration also featured a Water Safety and Paddleboarding Day at the Audubon Center at Riverlands, where students practiced balance, teamwork and confidence on the water.

A New View of the River: TRIO at St. Louis Community College

Another TRIO partner, St. Louis Community College’s TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound, experienced Waterschool through a river day with Big Muddy Adventures. Guides led students from Riverfront Park to the Gateway Arch, with a lunch stop at Mosenthein Island. Students investigated river habitats, played on sandy beaches, swam in the river, and floated downstream, seeing their city and its river from a fresh perspective.

“These partnerships help students see that the rivers aren’t just something to be afraid of—they’re home to hundreds of animal species, they’re our source of drinking water, and they tell so many stories of human history and culture,” Pang said. “Plus, once you know how to be safe, they can become an incredible playground!”

The Current That Connects

From campus labs to wetlands, from treatment plants to sandy river islands, Waterschool’s summer arc gave students more than facts—it offered a sense of belonging to a living river system. Through the Swarovski Foundation’s support, Waterschool USA at NGRREC continues to connect young people to water, nature, and the opportunities they inspire.

To learn more about Water School Program, contact Jolena Pang or visit NGRREC.

Jolena Pang is the Program Manager of Waterschool USA and an Environmental Educator at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), where she leads school programs, educator trainings, and community partnerships that connect people to the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Passionate about experiential learning and making science accessible, she builds hands-on projects that foster water literacy and stewardship. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.