Twenty Manatee County teachers and one private school teacher are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.
This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.
Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Manatee County to the strong partnership with Manatee County Schools, which helped get the word out to teachers. Judy Griffin, Manatee County curriculum specialist, serves as the District's liaison to teachers.
"These teachers are receiving a small amount of money but are able to accomplish so much," said Hull. "Grant recipients also use the District's collection of curriculum materials and other free educational resources."
The Manatee County awardees include:
* Karen Newhall, *Anna Maria Elementary School*, will receive $1,769. Students will participate in on-campus nature tours and create field guides to document what they learn.
* Jensina Gill, *B.D. Gullett Elementary School*, will receive $2,480. Students will compare three forms of garden systems: earth boxes, hydroponics and traditional garden plots. They will use rain barrels to collect water for the gardens and document water use and growth.
* Ellena Huston, *Ballard Elementary School*, will receive $4,900. Students will participate in a series of on-campus guided nature tours, and produce artwork and write essays about what they learn.
* Mary Beth Croome, *Bashaw Elementary School*, will receive $4,950. Students will take a guided kayak tour through mangroves, perform dipnetting activities, learn about sea grasses and participate in a coastal cleanup.
* Reinhardt Badow, *Bayshore High School*, will receive $1,690. Students will take a series of educational field trips to Sarasota Bay. They will learn about ecosystems and perform water quality tests.
* Sharon Itts, *Braden River High School*, will receive $2,348. Students will perform water tests on campus and at local water bodies, and perform water-related classroom experiments.
* John Schultz, *Daughtrey Preparatory School*, will receive $3,125. Students will take educational field trips and partner with high school chemistry students on water testing.
* Mark Martell, *Imagine School*, will receive $4,991. Students will install rain barrels, perform water-related classroom experiments and test the quality of water samples.
* Bill Keele, *Kinnan Elementary School*, will receive $4,950. Students will take a guided kayak tour through mangroves, perform dipnetting activities, learn about sea grasses and engage in a coastal cleanup.
* Elston Brown, *Lincoln Middle School*, will receive $4,450. Students will canoe the Little Manatee River to perform water quality tests and observe natural systems. They will produce reports documenting their findings.
* Justin Kiner, *Johnson Middle School*, will receive $1,490. Students will take a field trip to Rye Wilderness Park to perform water quality tests on the Manatee River. They will also perform a coastal cleanup at Coquina Beach.
* Patrick Meehan, *Johnson Middle School*, will receive $798. Students will study wetlands and take a field trip to Myakka River State Park to study macroinvertibrates and identify plants and animals.
* Deborah Peters, *Johnson Middle School*, will receive $1,090. Students will grow plants in earth boxes and hydroponics systems, comparing water use and crop yield. They will grow marsh plants and take a field trip to Robinson Preserve to plant them.
* Christian Davis, *McNeal Elementary School*, will receive $660. Students will participate in a shoreline cleanup, study native and invasive plants along the estuary, perform water testing and classify different living organisms.
* Joan Ortiz, *Nolan Middle School*, will receive $3,500. Students will participate in field studies at Nolan Pond, focusing on watershed mapping, water quality, non-point source pollution and low impact development.
* Victoria Kocher, *Oneco Elementary School*, will receive $1,400. Students will perform water-related classroom experiments, including water testing.
* Jennifer Camacho, *Rogers Garden Elementary School*, will receive $1,398. Students will plant a garden on campus, using rain barrels to conserve water. They will document plant growth and create projects related to conservation.
* Sarah Mitchell, *Rogers Garden Elementary School*, will receive $1,620. Students will create a garden on campus, observing how different growing mediums and watering amounts affect plant growth.
* Ricki Kitchner, *Wakeland Elementary School*, will receive $2,868. Students will plant a water-conserving garden on campus and take educational field trips.
* Julie Santello, *Willis Elementary School*, will receive $1,009. Students will study an on-campus pond. They will create and illustrate a book about the pond, describing the area and the animals that live there.
In addition to the county's public schools, one private school was awarded a Splash! grant.
* Greg Beekhuizen, *Bradenton Christian School*, will receive $2,129. Students will take educational field trips, performing water quality tests at Robinson Preserve and the Upper Manatee River.
The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide hands-on learning opportunities that teach students about their local watersheds and the freshwater resources within them. Splash! school grants provide up to $5,000 per school on a reimbursement basis only and are available to public, private and homeschool teachers.
"Past Splash! grant projects(2009 Splash! school grants)":/education/schoolgrants/projects.php 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 Splash! 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 "WaterMatters.org/publications/(Free publications)":/publications.
This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.
Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Manatee County to the strong partnership with Manatee County Schools, which helped get the word out to teachers. Judy Griffin, Manatee County curriculum specialist, serves as the District's liaison to teachers.
"These teachers are receiving a small amount of money but are able to accomplish so much," said Hull. "Grant recipients also use the District's collection of curriculum materials and other free educational resources."
The Manatee County awardees include:
* Karen Newhall, *Anna Maria Elementary School*, will receive $1,769. Students will participate in on-campus nature tours and create field guides to document what they learn.
* Jensina Gill, *B.D. Gullett Elementary School*, will receive $2,480. Students will compare three forms of garden systems: earth boxes, hydroponics and traditional garden plots. They will use rain barrels to collect water for the gardens and document water use and growth.
* Ellena Huston, *Ballard Elementary School*, will receive $4,900. Students will participate in a series of on-campus guided nature tours, and produce artwork and write essays about what they learn.
* Mary Beth Croome, *Bashaw Elementary School*, will receive $4,950. Students will take a guided kayak tour through mangroves, perform dipnetting activities, learn about sea grasses and participate in a coastal cleanup.
* Reinhardt Badow, *Bayshore High School*, will receive $1,690. Students will take a series of educational field trips to Sarasota Bay. They will learn about ecosystems and perform water quality tests.
* Sharon Itts, *Braden River High School*, will receive $2,348. Students will perform water tests on campus and at local water bodies, and perform water-related classroom experiments.
* John Schultz, *Daughtrey Preparatory School*, will receive $3,125. Students will take educational field trips and partner with high school chemistry students on water testing.
* Mark Martell, *Imagine School*, will receive $4,991. Students will install rain barrels, perform water-related classroom experiments and test the quality of water samples.
* Bill Keele, *Kinnan Elementary School*, will receive $4,950. Students will take a guided kayak tour through mangroves, perform dipnetting activities, learn about sea grasses and engage in a coastal cleanup.
* Elston Brown, *Lincoln Middle School*, will receive $4,450. Students will canoe the Little Manatee River to perform water quality tests and observe natural systems. They will produce reports documenting their findings.
* Justin Kiner, *Johnson Middle School*, will receive $1,490. Students will take a field trip to Rye Wilderness Park to perform water quality tests on the Manatee River. They will also perform a coastal cleanup at Coquina Beach.
* Patrick Meehan, *Johnson Middle School*, will receive $798. Students will study wetlands and take a field trip to Myakka River State Park to study macroinvertibrates and identify plants and animals.
* Deborah Peters, *Johnson Middle School*, will receive $1,090. Students will grow plants in earth boxes and hydroponics systems, comparing water use and crop yield. They will grow marsh plants and take a field trip to Robinson Preserve to plant them.
* Christian Davis, *McNeal Elementary School*, will receive $660. Students will participate in a shoreline cleanup, study native and invasive plants along the estuary, perform water testing and classify different living organisms.
* Joan Ortiz, *Nolan Middle School*, will receive $3,500. Students will participate in field studies at Nolan Pond, focusing on watershed mapping, water quality, non-point source pollution and low impact development.
* Victoria Kocher, *Oneco Elementary School*, will receive $1,400. Students will perform water-related classroom experiments, including water testing.
* Jennifer Camacho, *Rogers Garden Elementary School*, will receive $1,398. Students will plant a garden on campus, using rain barrels to conserve water. They will document plant growth and create projects related to conservation.
* Sarah Mitchell, *Rogers Garden Elementary School*, will receive $1,620. Students will create a garden on campus, observing how different growing mediums and watering amounts affect plant growth.
* Ricki Kitchner, *Wakeland Elementary School*, will receive $2,868. Students will plant a water-conserving garden on campus and take educational field trips.
* Julie Santello, *Willis Elementary School*, will receive $1,009. Students will study an on-campus pond. They will create and illustrate a book about the pond, describing the area and the animals that live there.
In addition to the county's public schools, one private school was awarded a Splash! grant.
* Greg Beekhuizen, *Bradenton Christian School*, will receive $2,129. Students will take educational field trips, performing water quality tests at Robinson Preserve and the Upper Manatee River.
The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide hands-on learning opportunities that teach students about their local watersheds and the freshwater resources within them. Splash! school grants provide up to $5,000 per school on a reimbursement basis only and are available to public, private and homeschool teachers.
"Past Splash! grant projects(2009 Splash! school grants)":/education/schoolgrants/projects.php 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 Splash! 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 "WaterMatters.org/publications/(Free publications)":/publications.