OLYMPIA, Wash. — Four Spokane 5th graders made their voices heard in our State Capitol this week.
Students from Regal Elementary presented their recent project on the contamination of the Spokane River to the Washington State Legislature at the end of January.
For months, the students researched the issue of pollution and the most effective ways to clean up the river. They focused their project to raising awareness about the Boulder Beach area where families often swim.
“It’s poisoning families, but not just families, it’s also poisoning the plants and animals,” 5th grader Taige Boyer said.
Their teacher, Lucas Trunkey, said the class worked closely with others in the community to put the project together.
“We worked with finding community partners that are already working on this, so the Spokane River Forum, Department of Ecology and Spokane River Keepers,” he said.
In Olympia, the students met with multiple lawmakers, including Representative Jenny Graham, and advocated for change and funding.
“We want to get all that out either using reverse-osmosis, which is a filter that uses pressure, or there’s also Phytoremediation, which is when you use plants as a filter,” 5th grader Oona Gonzalez said.
This visit was all part of the Environmental and Sustainability Literacy Student Summit organized by the Pacific Education Institute. Regal Elementary said the students’ trip was funded by a grant provided by a local person from our community.
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