Central student completes semester in elite science program

St. Paul Central High School sophomore Greta Mundt, recently completed the fall semester at Coastal Studies for Girls (CSG) in Freeport, Maine. Coastal Studies for Girls is a Semester School for 10th grade girls that features an integrated marine science and leadership curriculum based on fieldwork and experiential place-based learning.

While at CSG, Mundt completed a scientific research project examining the content of microplastics in household washing machine wastewater. CSG students have been conducting experiments analyzing elements of microplastic pollution in the Freeport marine ecosystems for several years.

Mundt and her team presented their research results in a public forum held at Bowdoin College in November. The science presentation was live streamed to viewers across the globe.

In addition to producing original marine research, Mundt also completed a semester-long leadership course, earned credits in literature, history, math and foreign language and traveled with her classmates on a 10-day expedition along the Maine coast and islands.

Each semester, CSG accepts only 15 girls from across the country to live in the school’s farmhouse on the shores of Casco Bay. Mundt is the second student from St. Paul Central High School to attend the Coastal Studies for Girls Semester School.