Seventeen Sodus Middle School students took bold steps toward safeguarding local waterways during the 2025 Planet Protectors Summer Camp, a weeklong environmental science program hosted at Sodus Jr./Sr. High School.
Led by faculty from the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education and Human Development, the camp gave students the chance to tackle real-world issues such as plastic pollution, invasive species, and water quality in Sodus Bay and Lake Ontario.
“Youth used science to make a difference in their community,” said April Luehmann, associate professor and director of the Warner School’s science teacher education program. “The authenticity of the environmental challenges invited us to work collaboratively to both understand the current situation at Sodus Bay and take action.”
In addition to Warner faculty and graduate students, University of Rochester undergraduates from a range of disciplines mentored the campers throughout the week. The experience culminated in a community showcase on July 31, followed by a poster fair the next day at the university’s River Campus.
The program is part of the Warner School’s Get Real! Science initiative, which emphasizes real-world, hands-on learning. Students also developed media strategies to share their findings—skills rarely taught in traditional classrooms.
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