On January 27, 2016, Hawthorne High School’s marine biology class had the privilege of listening to Dirk Vanderklein. Vanderklein is an associate professor of biology at Montclair University with degrees that include: Bachleor of Science from the University of Washington, Masters of Science from the University of Washington, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. He came prepared to educate the students about the causes of native and non-native invasive plants and their impacts on the ecosystem. The students in the class enjoyed the educational experience.

Adamarie Santiago, a senior in the class, spoke to The Clarion about the speaker, “He definitely knew what he was talking about. He was very professional. The presentation was a powerpoint about invasive plants and their importance. He taught us about how plants grow in the environmental conditions in which they live in and how they affect the environment. We all learned a lot. It was easy to recognize that Dr. Vanderklein was very passionate about his work. It was very informative and I enjoyed it.”

Ms. Wentworth, the marine biology teacher here at HHS, told The Clarion that the main focus of the class is animals, but it was very important to have a speaker come in to talk about plants. She thought that it was an incredible experience for the students. She concluded by saying, “We hope to have Dr. Vanderklein back in the spring when he will bring tools to measure the amount of photosynthesis produced by plants in the Goffle Brook Park.”