HUDDLESTON, Va. (WSET) — Ninth graders in Bedford County swapped desks for docks as Smith Mountain Lake became their science classroom on Wednesday.
Bedford County Public Schools partnered with the Smith Mountain Lake Association and Bedford Water to give students a chance to experience a hands-on learning day focused on the lake’s ecosystem, hydropower and water quality.
Allison Kappler, supervisor for science and computer science for Bedford County Public Schools, said students were “really digging into things they’ve learned about through studying, through a book, through talking in the class. This is the hands-on experience for that.”
Ninth graders in Bedford County swapped desks for docks as Smith Mountain Lake became their science classroom on Wednesday. (Rachel Branning/WSET)
Students rotated through interactive stations exploring topics including hydropower, invertebrates and water-quality testing.
“They’re able to see how one station impacts the other and then how, in a greater sense, it leads to the health of Smith Mountain Lake. It gives a full picture of the lake and everything that goes into it,” Kappler said.
Tye Campbell with the Smith Mountain Lake Association said the experience helps students see the lake in a new way, from what’s visible on the surface to what can be found under a microscope.
Ninth graders in Bedford County swapped desks for docks as Smith Mountain Lake became their science classroom on Wednesday. (Rachel Branning/WSET)
You hear a lot of ‘oohs and ahhs’ when they look through the microscope, or they see a critter in the stream, or they learn how many megawatts are coming out of that dam down there,” Campbell said.
Organizers said the program is also meant to build long-term awareness about protecting the lake. “We’re just hoping to create some sparks with these young adults,” Campbell said.
Kappler said the excitement students show matters.
That’s profound to us for high schoolers, that they’re still excited about things like this,” Kappler said.
Campbell said the hope is that students leave with a deeper connection to the environment. “Hopefully we’re making some strong connections to the environment and the quality of the water and the utility of life, the beauty around us,” he said.
Students from Staunton River, Jefferson Forest and Liberty high schools each had their own day at the lake. Organizers said this is the second year for the hands-on learning experience, and they hope it continues for years to come.
Ninth graders in Bedford County swapped desks for docks as Smith Mountain Lake became their science classroom on Wednesday. (Rachel Branning/WSET)
The Smith Mountain Lake Association also released information from its 2025 testing, offering insight into water quality and conditions that can contribute to algae blooms.
READ MORE: Cyanobacteria found in 42.9% of Smith Mountain Lake dock samples, up from 2024
Keri Green, vice president of the Smith Mountain Lake Association, said, “There’s nothing really we can do to stop a bloom once it starts. But what we can do is be prepared to react quickly and to understand the conditions that lead to a bloom.”
Green said one of the main findings is that when water clarity goes down, algae goes up, meaning harmful bacteria is more likely when the water is murky.