By Christina Leslie |Correspondent

Budding scientists from St. Veronica School took a soggy step forward in their educational journeys Sept. 23 as they explored the salt marshes of Sandy Hook Bay. The 24 members of the Howell school’s eighth grade class, accompanied by teachers Joanne Nelson and Debra Palmer and the Howell parish’s pastor, Father Vincent T. Euk, examined plant and sea life and learned man’s place in the fragile coastal ecosystem.

The salt marsh ecology program, geared towards students in grades five through 12, is one of five offered by the N.J. Sea Grant Consortium, headquartered at Fort Hancock in Gateway National Park. The consortium’s member institutions include colleges, universities and other groups with interest and expertise in New Jersey’s coastal and marine affairs.

The St. Veronica students were led through a number of activities on the early autumn day to learn about the function of estuaries and salt marshes as well as the plants and animals indigenous to the Sandy Hook Bay area. At the marsh, NJSGC instructors introduced the students to the concepts of geographic orientation, the impact of humans upon the environment, water quality, tides and currents.

Students donned oversized rubber hip waders and used plankton nets and buckets to collect specimens of the water’s microscopic creatures. Teacher Joanne Nelson recalled, “The best part is to see what they learned in school put into action in the field. Some of them had never fished before, so putting on the waders and seining was the highlight of the trip.”

Back in the classroom, the slightly soggy junior scientists prepared slides of their specimens and peered into microscopes to examine the single-celled organisms. They categorized seashells, identified fish and created fish prints, and conducted water quality tests to determine salinity and dissolved oxygen levels.

The inquisitive students were enthusiastic in their praise of the out-of-the-classroom learning experience. Eighth grader Jack Batta declared, “It was really great seining, but I liked the lab work best!” Fellow student Pat Brady said,” It was fun and educational. I had a great day.”

This year’s field trip marked the fifth time St. Veronica had travelled to the consortium’s class, but it was the class’ inaugural trip with Father Euk, who had been appointed as pastor in July, 2012.

The priest, who holds a degree in biological chemistry and worked as a medical research technician for the U.S. Public Health Service prior to his ordination, aided the students in their scientific discoveries. Father Euk noted, “I was happy to revisit the world of science and help the students in the lab with the measurements and the microscopes. It was exciting to see [them] so interested in marine biology.”