Only at Hudson Montessori School do first-graders up through middle schoolers participate in a longitudinal study with the Cary Institute Columbia University and the Department of Environmental Conservation. Our school is the only STEM-certified elementary school in New Jersey by the National Institute for STEM Education. Our participation in the “Day in the Life of the Hudson River” event to study the health of the river and all its components transforms our students into junior citizen scientists. While most other participants in this program are high school students, our students prove they are up for the challenge every year. They also love going to their Hudson River outdoor classroom (in this case, wet lab) to gather data. Unlike other participating schools, we continue to study the attributes of the Hudson River throughout the year, including our Billion Oyster Project and a study of the American Glass Eel.