Examining eco-columns, sophomore Amelia Langford gauges the progress of an APES lab. The eco-columns consist of a soil layer with plants, a sand layer that serves as filtration, and a water layer that houses aquatic plants and creatures. “Our fish died and my world ended,” senior Jessica Blanco said. “It was so sad. His little dead body was floating on the top; I had to bury him in the soil, and in my brain I was crying.”