Having to attend summer school is not usually equated with having fun.

"It's usually just sitting in a hot room, looking at a computer," according to Maximino Garcia, a soon-to-be senior at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis.

"But this," he said, of a program he participated in this summer, "is a lot better."

About 20 students at Patrick Henry got to spend three weeks this summer learning about Shingle Creek, which flows into the Mississippi River in north Minneapolis.

The program, designed to give students one credit each in science and social studies, has them studying the creek, spending time literally up to their waists in water to come up with recommendations on how to improve its health.

There were water quality studies, discussions about the mix of "macro-invertebrates" living in the water, and a trip to the Mississippi to compare the two bodies of water.

And the teenagers, who one might assume would be less than happy about doing science on a summer morning rather than sleeping in, seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the project, which turned summer school into an outdoor adventure.

"I didn't think this was going to be fun at all," said Meah Ismail, who will be a senior this fall. "I'm a more visual learner, and I learn through experience. I learn better when I can act out what we're learning."

The verdict on the creek's health was bad.

There is too much phosphorous, which makes plants grow like crazy. But when they die, the decay can starve the water of oxygen, which kills fish. The chemical can come from products such as fertilizer, detergent or even from someone washing a car in a nearby driveway.

And there's lots of garbage.

"We found bikes, stop signs, basketballs," said Jahkiesha Leake, a sophomore. "And hubcaps, pipes and garbage."

The students' recommendations about how to improve the water quality of the creek were varied: Tell people to use phosphorous-free soap when washing their cars in their driveways. Increase awareness among teens who live around the creek. Hold clean-up days more often than the once-yearly Earth Day cleanup that takes place. And make sure neighbors know that when they don't clean up leaves or grass clippings after mowing their lawns, they always end up in the creek.

"It makes me want to recycle," said Tre'Cory Burks, a sophomore. "I found out how important the creek is to our community. It goes into the Mississippi, and we get our water from there."

The project also changed the perspective of some of the students about playing outside and just getting a little messy.

"I don't usually tread around in muddy water," Ismail said, "but I had water up to my torso. I had fun getting dirty. It was weird."

Emily Johns • 612-673-7460