The Summit Charter School’s eighth-grade class tested seven water sources commonly used by hikers along the Appalachian Trail in Macon County.

Testing took place during the group’s annual overnight field trip to the Standing Indian area earlier this month. The collected water data (dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity) was uploaded to the World Water Monitoring website. Janis Brannon, the science teacher from Summit School and a graduate of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Trail to Every Classroom Program, has planned and executed this field trip for the past five years. The local Nantahala Hiking Club provided hike leaders to lead the students on the hike and to the water sources. The field trip was funded through the state’s AT license plate program.