Seining With the Sixth Graders
When Noah Byun ’32 slipped into the waterproof waders, stepped into the Hudson River and held the seining net, his enthusiasm for the morning adventure took over.
“I had a feeling of excitement when I finally saw the big picture in person of what we actually learned in the classroom about fish and the water cycle,” he explained.
Welcome to the annual seining field study at Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park, where middle school science teacher Dan Russo led sixth grade students on a hands-on marine life lesson connected to their yearlong curriculum about the river.
“This tradition is easily the best part of the early portion of the school year in science class,” he said. “Students get to experience the grandeur of the Hudson River firsthand. It is an experience they will remember their entire lives.”
Russo said that while some students are apprehensive about entering the water, once they’re in he sees “their faces light up with pure joy.” It made an impression on Chloe Williams ’32, who described the seining experience as “fun and cool” and especially enjoyed what they found.
“We caught a moon jellyfish, Atlantic silversides and a fiddler crab,” she said. “I liked learning what the fish were and what kinds of fish were in the Hudson River.”
Over two days, the students were guided by Russo, with help from colleagues Mark Tamucci, Katie Meadows, Jen Rathkopf and Stella Banino.
“My greatest hope is that this trip instills a lifelong love of science and an appreciation for the beauty of the Hudson River in my students,” Russo said. “I want them to ponder how remarkable it is that they are seining in the exact spot where Native Americans possibly seined hundreds of years ago. In many ways, it is a link to the past.”
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