Outside the Classroom

Middle Division and San Miguel Academy collaborate on water monitoring of nearby rivers.

For years, schools have looked to St. Benedict’s Prep to strengthen curriculum and improve outcomes. Now, St. Benedict’s is taking a cue from San Miguel Academy, a Catholic middle school in Newburgh, N.Y., whose place-based learning model uses the environment outside the classroom to make education more relevant and meaningful.

St. Benedict’s and San Miguel formalized a longstanding partnership in November 2025 to share best practices and collaborate on academic innovation. San Miguel has a well-integrated place-based learning program rooted in the Hudson Valley. When sixth graders study the American Revolution, they hike the escape route used by Benedict Arnold after the general’s plan to surrender West Point to the British was discovered. Fifth graders make regular visits to Stony Kill Farm to learn about the animal life cycle and food systems through hands-on farm experiences. 

“Place-based learning increases students’ critical thinking, and it encourages teamwork and leadership,” said Molly Albrecht, the school’s Director For Curriculum and Instruction. “Most importantly, it gets students away from the classroom and textbooks and engages them in real-life scenarios where they engage in inquiry and problem-solving, which is what we need for the future.” 

In 2024, San Miguel received a STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation for “Testing the Waters: Engineering a Water Reuse Process.” The eighth-grade class analyzed water samples from the Hudson River and designed filtration systems to reuse the water, an initiative combining math and engineering with project-based learning. The study was bolstered by a grant from the Dorr Foundation in 2025-26. Science Department Chair Jon Marlow and Middle Division science teacher David Couto thought the initiative could be replicated at St. Benedict’s Prep, the first academic collaboration to emerge from the partnership. 

“Water is the perfect topic because it’s so relevant to students’ lives,” said Mr. Couto, who introduced the project to his eighth-grade classes last fall. The initial focus was water as an essential resource; students tracked their usage over a week and calculated personal consumption. “It was eye-opening for the kids,” said Mr. Couto. “They could see the impact of taking a resource for granted.” The class moved on to testing water for contaminants in Winter Term, using samples Mr. Couto collected from the South River Tributary in Middlesex County, which revealed concerning levels of lead and nitrates. Seeing the results of their testing surprised Gray Bees and also made them more curious about the water in their own backyard. The science classes collected, tested and analyzed samples from the Passaic River in April. 

Mr. Marlow hopes to establish a permanent water-testing station at the site where the Gray Bee crew team practices. This would enable real-time monitoring and longitudinal studies spanning seventh and eighth grade. The project could also extend to Prep Division science courses and the humanities, particularly the popular Newark Studies class from the 1990s and 2000s, which will be revived for 2026-27. “How does this river in our backyard impact the community? How has it impacted communities over time? It raises all kinds of social questions you can ask and ponder,” said Mr. Marlow. 

Though the San Miguel and St. Benedict’s eighth graders worked separately on their water monitoring projects, the two classes met in person for a student congress on April 21 at Blue CoLab at Pace University, an entity focused on protecting water health through technological innovation. San Miguel and St. Benedict’s students participated in discussions and presented their findings to policy makers and environmentalists, including John Cronin, the prominent environmental activist and executive director of Blue CoLab. San Miguel established a partnership with the research initiative last year. Stewardship is one end goal of the project, according to Ms. Albrecht, one that is fostered at both schools through robust crew programs. 

“Our students have spent their middle school years rowing on the river. Expanding that connection deepens their understanding of its ecosystem and cultivates a sense of stewardship.” 

Mr. Couto noted that the pilot program sparked interest in local environmental issues among eighth graders. “It’s important to give them these opportunities. Students get excited about science. It inspires them to bring about change and help their own communities.”