Chloe, 10, of Mars Area Centennial School, collects a water sample. Julia Maruca / Butler Eagle

Mars Area School District students aren't afraid to get their feet wet.

Every Friday from the beginning of the school year in September until the end of October, high school AP Biology students escort classes of curious fifth graders into the local ecosystem in their backyard: Breakneck Creek.

The expeditions are part of the Mars Area Water Protection Program, a team-up between teachers, local environmental firms, and students to get kids out in nature and learning about the complex natural world beneath the surface of local waterways.

Students get the chance to do physical, chemical, and biological testing in Breakneck Creek, and data from their work is shared with the Breakneck Creek Regional Authority. The project has been a part of Mars Area School District curriculum for over 20 years, and gives older students in science classes the chance to work directly with younger students to explore nature.

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Biologist Dan Maltese of Civil and Environmental Consultants holds up a fish. Julia Maruca / Butler Eagle

Biologist Dan Maltese of Civil and Environmental Consultants holds up a fish. Julia Maruca / Butler Eagle

Biologist Dan Maltese of Civil and Environmental Consultants holds up a fish for fifth graders to see. Julia Maruca / Butler Eagle

Mars Area teacher Bill Wesley leads fifth graders in singing a song about watersheds. Julia Maruca / Butler Eagle