**Manatee County students at 11 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 Manatee County awardees are:
* Reinhardt Badow, *Bayshore High*, was awarded $1,986. Students will learn about native versus invasive plants as they design, install and maintain native vegetation on the school's campus and wetland area. Students also will focus on the reduced water needs of native plants.
* Elizabeth Applegate, *Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary*, was awarded $3,000. On a field trip to Coquina Beach, students will investigate the animals and plants in an estuary. They will test water quality and use dip nets to investigate living organisms.
* Tracy Bohlmann, *Carlos E. Haile Middle*, was awarded $1,970. On a field trip to Coquina Beach, students will investigate the animals and plants in an estuary. They will test water quality and use dip nets to investigate living organisms.
* Maurice Baxter, *Central High*, was awarded $2,052. On a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve, students will learn the importance of protecting water resources and watersheds, how human actions affect water and how to conduct water quality tests. Students will use what they learn to test and monitor water at a local site.
* Shiela Milan, *G. D. Rogers Garden Elementary*, was awarded $2,634. Students will compare the water quality and ecosystems of a local pond to that of an estuary on a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve. They will learn how human actions affect these ecosystems and the surrounding watershed.
* Rebecca Lentz, *Manatee School for the Arts*, was awarded $3,000. On a field trip to Coquina Beach, students will investigate the animals and plants in an estuary. They will test water quality and use dip nets to investigate living organisms.
* Alyson Colosia, *Palmetto Elementary*, was awarded $800. Students will participate in activities centered on the water cycle, water pollution and aquifer recharge while on a field trip to Sweetwater Organic Farm.
* Amy Ross Bradl, *Robert E. Willis Elementary*, was awarded $2,839. Students will learn about the water cycle, water quality and water conservation through a series of classroom activities. Activities include creating water filters and sediment tubes, building terrariums, recording water usage, making water cycle bracelets and testing water.
* Stephanie Jenkins, *Samoset Elementary*, was awarded $990. On a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve, students will learn to identify animals and plants in an estuary and learn the importance of an estuary and its connection to watershed.
* Cindy Richardson, *Stewart Elementary*, was awarded $1,000. On a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve, students will learn about the habitats and wildlife adaptations of an estuary. They will also learn what a watershed is and the importance of protecting it.
* Andrea Distelhurst, *WD Sugg Middle*, was awarded $728. Students will learn how habitat restoration is important to water resources management while on a field trip to Rye Wilderness Preserve.
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 Manatee County awardees are:
* Reinhardt Badow, *Bayshore High*, was awarded $1,986. Students will learn about native versus invasive plants as they design, install and maintain native vegetation on the school's campus and wetland area. Students also will focus on the reduced water needs of native plants.
* Elizabeth Applegate, *Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary*, was awarded $3,000. On a field trip to Coquina Beach, students will investigate the animals and plants in an estuary. They will test water quality and use dip nets to investigate living organisms.
* Tracy Bohlmann, *Carlos E. Haile Middle*, was awarded $1,970. On a field trip to Coquina Beach, students will investigate the animals and plants in an estuary. They will test water quality and use dip nets to investigate living organisms.
* Maurice Baxter, *Central High*, was awarded $2,052. On a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve, students will learn the importance of protecting water resources and watersheds, how human actions affect water and how to conduct water quality tests. Students will use what they learn to test and monitor water at a local site.
* Shiela Milan, *G. D. Rogers Garden Elementary*, was awarded $2,634. Students will compare the water quality and ecosystems of a local pond to that of an estuary on a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve. They will learn how human actions affect these ecosystems and the surrounding watershed.
* Rebecca Lentz, *Manatee School for the Arts*, was awarded $3,000. On a field trip to Coquina Beach, students will investigate the animals and plants in an estuary. They will test water quality and use dip nets to investigate living organisms.
* Alyson Colosia, *Palmetto Elementary*, was awarded $800. Students will participate in activities centered on the water cycle, water pollution and aquifer recharge while on a field trip to Sweetwater Organic Farm.
* Amy Ross Bradl, *Robert E. Willis Elementary*, was awarded $2,839. Students will learn about the water cycle, water quality and water conservation through a series of classroom activities. Activities include creating water filters and sediment tubes, building terrariums, recording water usage, making water cycle bracelets and testing water.
* Stephanie Jenkins, *Samoset Elementary*, was awarded $990. On a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve, students will learn to identify animals and plants in an estuary and learn the importance of an estuary and its connection to watershed.
* Cindy Richardson, *Stewart Elementary*, was awarded $1,000. On a field trip to Emerson Point Preserve, students will learn about the habitats and wildlife adaptations of an estuary. They will also learn what a watershed is and the importance of protecting it.
* Andrea Distelhurst, *WD Sugg Middle*, was awarded $728. Students will learn how habitat restoration is important to water resources management while on a field trip to Rye Wilderness Preserve.
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/.