Fifteen Sarasota 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 Sarasota County awardees include:
- Anita Wexler,Sarasota High School, will receive $2,549.76. Students will plant a Florida-friendly garden on campus and take a field trip to Selby Botanical Garden.
- Caren Walsh,Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, will receive $1,345. Students will set up rain barrels to water a pre-existing campus garden. They will test the quality of water in the barrels and document their findings. They will also participate in activities from the District’s Water Conservation Kit and Watershed Education Resources Box.
- Rebecca Bolstridge,Brentwood Elementary School, will receive $1,539.95. Students will compare the water needed to grow plants in soil and hydroponics. They will take a field trip to a hydroponics farm and create projects documenting what they learned.
- Susan Roberts,Brookside Middle School, will receive $1,157.22. Students will construct showers that only dispense five gallons of water to show how much water is used daily and the importance of conservation. They will also conduct quality tests on local water sources and read water-related books.
- Lauren Johnson,Fruitville Elementary School, will receive $2,300. Students will grow plants on campus using hydroponics. They will keep logs of plant growth and water use.
- Jeanne Troiano,Garden Elementary School, will receive $1,500. Students will perform tests on local water sources and take a field trip to Myakka River State Park.
- Susan Forrest,Phoenix Academy, will receive $2,704. Students will take field trips to Selby Botanical Gardens and the Sarasota Garden Club to learn about Florida-friendly plants. They will also plant a garden on campus using hydroponics systems and rain barrels.
- Lauren Watson,Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences, will receive $1,733.70. Students will perform tests on local water sources and perform water-related classroom experiments using a groundwater model.
- Chip Phillips, Southside Elementary School, will receive $487.50. Students will create and publish a book on water conservation to share with the school and the community.
- Stephanie Dunda,Suncoast Polytechnical High School, will receive $3,738. Students will take a field trip to Selby Botanical Gardens to research Florida-friendly plants. They will create a Florida-friendly garden on campus and projects related to the experience.
- Linda Townsend,Tatum Ridge Elementary School, will receive $1,940.15. Students will study weather and how it relates to the water cycle. They will create projects about what they learn.
- Michelle Ozkan,Tatum Ridge Elementary School, will receive $1,039.10. Students will read water-related books, study plant growth, perform classroom experiments on the water cycle and create projects related to Earth Day.
- Marcy Kennelly,Tuttle Elementary School, will receive $2,559.62. Students will read water-related books and watch water-related videos. They will study conservation and the water cycle and create projects related to their studies.
- Kathleen Ramey,Epiphany Cathedral School, will receive $2,618.84. Students will plant an organic garden using EarthBoxes and take a field trip to Mote Marine Laboratory. They will document their project through presentations and demonstrations for the local community.
- Jerome Yoder,Sarasota Christian School, will receive $1,090. Students will create a water-conserving garden on campus using hydroponics. They will compare the amount of water used through hydroponics with that used through their current irrigation system.
Last year seven mini-grants were awarded in Sarasota 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/.