Nine Marion County teachers 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 Marion County to the strong partnership with Marion County Public Schools, which helped get the word out to teachers. Jacqua Ballas, science program specialist for Marion County Public Schools, 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 Marion County awardees include:
* Holly Denton, *Belleview High School*, will receive $3,005. Students will research the Ocklawaha River and Withlacoochee River watersheds and write case studies.
* Judy Vaughn, *Belleview-Santos Elementary School*, will receive $347. Students will participate in National Youth Science Day, complete a water quality experiment, take a field trip to the Silver River, plant a hydroponics garden and complete home water audit surveys.
* Mary Blanchette, *Dunnellon Elementary School*, will receive $1,910. Students will install a vertical garden system made from recycled materials that is designed to conserve water.
* Janis Cross, *Dunnellon High School*, will receive $883. Students will use Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles to design a garden on campus and take a field trip to Shady Grove Nature Preserve.
* Kara Campbell, *Fessenden Elementary School*, will receive $470. Students will plant a hydroponic garden and learn about water conservation.
* Ashley Mulligan, *Liberty Middle School*, will receive $428. Students will focus on crayfish to study the freshwater ecosystem and water quality requirements.
* Viviana Prieto, *Maplewood Elementary*, will receive $547. Students will participate in National Youth Science Day, complete a water quality experiment, take a field trip to the Silver River, plant a hydroponics garden and complete home water audit surveys.
* Jill Stephens, *North Marion High School*, will receive $974. Students will give presentations, conduct water audits of their homes, plan ways to reduce water consumption and distribute infomercials regarding water conservation to air in schools and the community.
* Greg McManus, *Shady Hill Elementary*, will receive $1,075. Students will visit Shady Grove Preserve to experience a natural outdoor lab and write essays on ways they can help conserve and protect the water supply.
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 Marion County to the strong partnership with Marion County Public Schools, which helped get the word out to teachers. Jacqua Ballas, science program specialist for Marion County Public Schools, 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 Marion County awardees include:
* Holly Denton, *Belleview High School*, will receive $3,005. Students will research the Ocklawaha River and Withlacoochee River watersheds and write case studies.
* Judy Vaughn, *Belleview-Santos Elementary School*, will receive $347. Students will participate in National Youth Science Day, complete a water quality experiment, take a field trip to the Silver River, plant a hydroponics garden and complete home water audit surveys.
* Mary Blanchette, *Dunnellon Elementary School*, will receive $1,910. Students will install a vertical garden system made from recycled materials that is designed to conserve water.
* Janis Cross, *Dunnellon High School*, will receive $883. Students will use Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles to design a garden on campus and take a field trip to Shady Grove Nature Preserve.
* Kara Campbell, *Fessenden Elementary School*, will receive $470. Students will plant a hydroponic garden and learn about water conservation.
* Ashley Mulligan, *Liberty Middle School*, will receive $428. Students will focus on crayfish to study the freshwater ecosystem and water quality requirements.
* Viviana Prieto, *Maplewood Elementary*, will receive $547. Students will participate in National Youth Science Day, complete a water quality experiment, take a field trip to the Silver River, plant a hydroponics garden and complete home water audit surveys.
* Jill Stephens, *North Marion High School*, will receive $974. Students will give presentations, conduct water audits of their homes, plan ways to reduce water consumption and distribute infomercials regarding water conservation to air in schools and the community.
* Greg McManus, *Shady Hill Elementary*, will receive $1,075. Students will visit Shady Grove Preserve to experience a natural outdoor lab and write essays on ways they can help conserve and protect the water supply.
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.