Hernando County students at two schools will study the issues surrounding our freshwater resources thanks to "Splash! school grants":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/schoolgrants/ from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
The Hernando County awardees are:
* David Peitzman, *Gulf Coast Academy of Science*, was awarded $1,520. Students will visit several river and spring locations to test water quality and learn about human impacts to Florida's diverse freshwater ecosystems. Students also will learn the importance of preserving these ecosystems for future water supply and about watersheds, natural filtration processes and karst topography.
* Rob Berger, *Central High*, was awarded $1,480. Students will visit Springs Coast Environmental Education Center, Bayport Park and Jenkins Creek Park to test water quality and survey the plant and animal species at each location. Students will learn how water quality and habitats change from a spring to an estuary and how humans affect some of these changes.
The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of topics that meet the District's core mission and teach students about their local watersheds, water conservation, quality and supply. Splash! school grants provide up to $3,000 per school on a reimbursement basis and are available to public school teachers.
Melissa Gulvin, the District's K-12 education coordinator, said the grant program is important because Splash! Grants provide funding teachers may not otherwise have to create water-resources programs specific to their students.
"For instance, if a school's campus is near a local water body, students may conduct hands-on water testing and clean-ups while learning how their actions affect the health of that local water body and the surrounding watershed," she said.
This year, 94 Splash! grants were awarded across the District's 16-county region to educate students on water resources. Past Splash! grant projects include student monitoring of local water quality, environmental field studies and school or community outreach campaigns designed to encourage water conservation.
In addition to Splash! grant funding, the District offers free teacher professional development workshops and curriculum materials. The publications are correlated to Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards and can be ordered on the District's website at "WaterMatters.org/publications/":http://www.WaterMatters.org/publications/.
The Hernando County awardees are:
* David Peitzman, *Gulf Coast Academy of Science*, was awarded $1,520. Students will visit several river and spring locations to test water quality and learn about human impacts to Florida's diverse freshwater ecosystems. Students also will learn the importance of preserving these ecosystems for future water supply and about watersheds, natural filtration processes and karst topography.
* Rob Berger, *Central High*, was awarded $1,480. Students will visit Springs Coast Environmental Education Center, Bayport Park and Jenkins Creek Park to test water quality and survey the plant and animal species at each location. Students will learn how water quality and habitats change from a spring to an estuary and how humans affect some of these changes.
The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of topics that meet the District's core mission and teach students about their local watersheds, water conservation, quality and supply. Splash! school grants provide up to $3,000 per school on a reimbursement basis and are available to public school teachers.
Melissa Gulvin, the District's K-12 education coordinator, said the grant program is important because Splash! Grants provide funding teachers may not otherwise have to create water-resources programs specific to their students.
"For instance, if a school's campus is near a local water body, students may conduct hands-on water testing and clean-ups while learning how their actions affect the health of that local water body and the surrounding watershed," she said.
This year, 94 Splash! grants were awarded across the District's 16-county region to educate students on water resources. Past Splash! grant projects include student monitoring of local water quality, environmental field studies and school or community outreach campaigns designed to encourage water conservation.
In addition to Splash! grant funding, the District offers free teacher professional development workshops and curriculum materials. The publications are correlated to Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards and can be ordered on the District's website at "WaterMatters.org/publications/":http://www.WaterMatters.org/publications/.