Talented students show off their Biodiversity projects

The web of life: Somersfield P6 students created an energy web showering 15 ecosystems in Bermuda to demonstrate the connections between species and how inter-dependent the entire system is.

Jakob Resnik and Tomiko Douglas, P6

December 10, 2010 — All of Somersfield Academy participated in Biodiversity Day on November 19. It was an open house to showcase all of the student work, from the 3 to 6 level through the Middle Years Programme.

Our level, P6, did a massive energy web showing 15 eco-systems in Bermuda and their animals. The ribbons you might be able to see in the picture demonstrate the connections between these species, and how inter-dependent the entire system is.

One 3-6 class, the class led by Mrs. Mello and Mrs. Cox, did a project on the Bermuda mangroves. They discovered that mangroves protect small animals.

There are many different types of mangroves, and without them most of Bermuda's small creatures would not live. Another 3-6 class learned about Bermuda's coral reefs and how the animals in that ecosystem live and work together.

An interesting project from the 6-9 level was Ms Carpenter's and Ms Lenfestey's class who focused on the African grasslands and savanna. They learned how the Masai tribe relies upon the animals to lead their cattle.

The P5s did a project that demonstrated how fragile an ecosystem is through their study of the Amazon rainforest.

They discovered that four football fields of the rainforest is cut down daily. Amazingly, 20 percent of Earth's oxygen and purified water originates in the Amazon rainforest.

The MYPs also participated in the Open House with a number of interesting projects that highlighted their interdisciplinary approach to learning.