Grade 5 science project leads to water quality testing at school in northern Quebec

A science project by a group of elementary school students in northern Quebec has focused attention on a potential issue with the quality of water in the local school. 

It has also brought the students south to compete with their project — called Water: the essence of life — at a provincial Indigenous science fair happening this week in Quebec City.

Four Grade 5 students at Mistissini Voyageur Elementary School tested water quality at the source of the community's water, as well as at different parts of the school building, such as the washrooms, water fountains and in newer and older parts of the school. 

"The goal was to see if there's a difference between the lake water straight from the source … versus once it goes through the pipes and into our schools," said Dominique Roy, the Grade 5 homeroom teacher and one of two professors supporting the students. 

"They did find that we should be filtering our water in the schools," she said, adding that the band office has agreed to carry out further tests.

Roy said the quality of the water source, Mistissini Lake, is very, very good, but down the line in the school the water quality drops noticeably. 

The students also studied four different types of filtering options, including some traditional methods, such as using moss or a heavy cotton, as well as modern charcoal filters. In their evaluation, the students also took into account cost and environmental impacts of the different filtration methods. 

The students who are part of the team behind the project are Lennox Swallow, Angel MacLeod, Lucas Trapper and Serena Shecapio. Two of the four are attending the 2023 Quebec Indigenous Science Fair, happening from March 21 to 23 at the Université Laval in Quebec City. 

The event brings together Indigenous students from across Quebec through science projects as a way to promote science and engineering among Indigenous youth.

For 10-year-old Serena Shecapio, taking part in the project was "cool" and a fun experience. She said she enjoyed carrying out the tests and is interested in what she is learning about science.

"It feels good," said Shecapio, who is not one of the two teammates traveling to Quebec City, but will be actively following the experience along with the rest of the class back in Mistissini. 

From her mom's perspective, Serena really needed to challenge herself and move out of her comfort zone to work on the project. 

"I found it really neat," said Peggy Petawabano Shecapio. "Serena kind of pushed herself to finish the project. She managed and I think her self esteem also improved a lot." 

The other teacher who helped support the students was their French teacher, Charlotte Rulac. The students carried out their research in both English and French and did a lot of translation work. They also did some of the work in Cree.