Twelve Hernando County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.
Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school board contacts and classroom teachers, as well as decreases in school budgets.
“These teachers are receiving a small amount of money but are able to accomplish so much,” said Hull. “Mini-grant recipients also utilize the District’s great collection of curriculum materials as well as learn about other opportunities, including teacher training and District-funded field trips in their region.”
The Hernando County awardees include:
- Lisa Rae Dickinson,Frank W. Springstead High School, will receive $1,400.70. Students will conduct an environmental survey of the Weeki Wachee River with the cooperation of the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center. They will conduct water and soil testing and identify local flora and fauna. This experience will enhance the curriculum of the advanced placement environmental science course. Students will develop presentations based on what they learned and will share them with all ninth-grade environmental science students.
- Leonette Ehlenbeck,Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics, will receive $990. Students will use a handheld water quality sensor kit to study basic fresh water dynamics and to collect water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity data. Students will also collaborate to produce effective, student-friendly water conservation flyers, posters and a pond data display.
- Susan Fremer,Home School, will receive $2,775. Students will prepare container gardening systems that will yield vegetables using a fraction of the water and fertilizer that is used for a conventional garden. They will also visit hydroponics and conventional farms for water use comparison purposes. In addition, students will conduct water quality and soil testing.
- Sue Garter,Suncoast Elementary School, will receive $59.95. Students will install a rain barrel at a rain spout to collect water to irrigate their existing school gardens, which are planted with Florida-friendly plants, bushes and flowers.
- Natalie Gillespie,Doorposts Home School, will receive $1,743. Students will learn about the need to conserve water. They will create posters and flyers and distribute them to local businesses for display. Students will also take a field trip to the Florida Aquarium.
- Michelle Haenel,Pine Grove Elementary School, will receive $720.50. The students will plan and create a water-wise garden. They will graph the plants’ water usage, showing the amount of rainfall that is collected in that area and comparing it to other parts of the campus.
- Jo Anne Hartge, West Hernando Middle School, will receive $1,485.93. Students will study the natural ecosystem and water quality of the Weeki Wachee River to help restore eelgrass in the river. Students will grow the eelgrass from seed in the classroom and then replant it in small restoration beds adjacent to the Springs Coast Environmental Center. They will also produce a brochure to be distributed to the community.
- Dana Moreno,Home School, will receive $90. Students will study Florida-friendly plants and landscaping by planting a garden and using a Watershed Education Resource Box. They will also conduct water quality testing.
- Linda Rothenberg,Westside Elementary School, will receive $1,633.67. Students will explore hydroponics and its relationship to water conservation. This exploration will involve the examination of water quality and needs of fruits and vegetables for human consumption. In addition to learning about water quality, the students will also compare the amount of water used for their hydroponic systems and traditional soil gardens.
- Madhu Thomas,Hernando Christian Academy, will receive $1,368.45. Students will learn how the quality of water is greatly affected by irresponsible behavior by conducting classroom experiments using a variety of kits and taking a field trip to the Weeki Wachee River. They will share what they’ve learned by creating posters.
- Shawn Walker, Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology, will receive $3,050. Students will learn about watershed ecology by engaging in hands-on discoveries of the relationship between local hydrology and geology by taking a field trip to the Chassahowitzka River. They will also learn how to conserve water in an agricultural setting using drip irrigation. Water quality testing will also be conducted.
- Donny Weed,Explorer K-8 School, will receive $1,800. Students will study the Weeki Wachee River watershed and conduct water quality testing during field trips. These studies will be used to construct watershed models to show how water flows within the watershed. Students will also create a book about Weeki Wachee River wildlife and make posters with suggestions about how to protect the watershed.
Last year 10 mini-grants were awarded in Hernando County.
The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water resources education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the water resources within them. Splash! mini-grants provide up to $5,000 per school on a reimbursement basis only and are available to public, private and home school teachers.
Past mini-grant projects include water quality monitoring of local lakes and rivers, the development of water-conserving gardens on school properties, and outreach campaigns designed to promote awareness of water-conserving practices.
In addition to mini-grant funding, the District offers educators free teacher training workshops, speakers for classroom presentations and free educational materials. The publications are correlated to Florida’s Sunshine State Standards and can also be ordered on the District’s web site at www.WaterMatters.org/publications/.