I think, too often, kids are not exposed to the environment, where there is wide-open land, fresh streams and forests. What we do in an urban area like this does have an effect on that. If I can stimulate that curiosity and create a concern for the environment, that will have a great political and social change for the rest of their lives.

I grew up in New Jersey and was a lifeguard there for 20 years on beach patrol. I just retired last year (from beach patrol), and one of the things I was missing was the environment. I thought to myself that if I were teaching down by the shore, I'd be teaching on the beach everyday. How can I pull that off here? Then, I realized how close Nine Mile Run is to our school.

The students will be the ones conducting the chemical tests. These kits are created for sixth-graders to conduct these tests. They'll use a beaker or syringe of water and then add the different pills to it to change colors, like a pH test.

We'll walk over to Frick Park (in neighboring Pittsburgh) and observe the watershed, the stream and test the water. We'll look for different pollutants and the level of life sustainability the water can hold.

That way when kids come back in as much of a germ free environment as possible.

I really believe kids want to do well. It's a coach's job to create an environment for them to be successful.