YAKIMA -- Yakima Valley Community College students went from the classroom to the real world Monday.

Using handheld Global Positioning Systems, the students marked the edge of a pond that's adjacent to a planned soccer field complex in Southeast Yakima. 

The information gathered will be part of a report that's required for an environmental review of the property. Instructor Michael Martin noted that "this is real-world instruction. This is really going to sink in" to the students.