This article describes how fifth grade students participated in a place-based environmental education initiative in West Michigan that supports teachers who want to involve their students in citizen science by protecting local water resources. Every year, Groundswell works with about 100 teachers at 30 schools to engage students in citizen science through environmental education. Each school tackles its own project based on student interests and local need. One of these projects showed how students could help a community partner solve a real problem by using native plants to keep pollution from rain runoff out of a pond. As the directors and evaluator of this initiative, the authors share two of the success stories experienced by participating elementary classes and offer their suggestions for involving students in citizen science opportunities.