River Ridge Teacher, Other Pasco Instructors Win Grants to Teach About Water

A River Ridge High School teacher was selected as one of nine Pasco County educators to receive a grant for a water-related project from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Swiftmud announced Tuesday that teacher Laine Smith will receive a Splash! grant of $2,831 for a project focused on estuaries. In the project, students will create a small estuary environment and an unhealthy habitat for comparison.

The district is awarding 157 grants across its 16 counties, according to its website. The grant program aims to boost student knowledge about freshwater resources, according to the district. Grants can total no more than $3,000 per school, and they are given as a reimbursement.

Margaret Hull, Swiftmud’s spokeswoman, stated in a press release that the agency and the Pasco County School District have a strong relationship that helps the grant be effective.

 “The district recognizes the critical role STEM education — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — plays in preparing students for the future,” said Hull. “With the help of the grant program, students will learn the importance of protecting and conserving Florida’s water resources through STEM-based education projects.”

Here is the full list of award recipients and the district’s description of the projects.

• Laine Smith, River Ridge High School, West Pasco, will receive $2,831. Students will build a small estuary habitat, and also create an unhealthy habitat for comparison.

• Gloria Mouw, Centennial Middle School, will receive $2,998. Students will discover how different plants adapt to nutrients and growing mediums.

• Karen Stewart, Charles S. Rushe Middle School, will receive $2,990. Students will study freshwater resources and monitor the water quality of the campus pond and wells.

• Kristina Samples, Double Branch Elementary School, will receive $1,520. Students will choose appropriate plants, design planters, measure rain barrel water use and test water quality in a school garden.

• Donna Hoague-Koljeski, Energy and Marine Center, will receive $2,675. Students will use a watershed model and create posters, learning about watershed pollution and how it affects estuaries.

• Mary Lou Jordan, Moore Mickens Education Center, will receive $2,109. Students will plant and cultivate drought-tolerant and native plants, learning about Florida-friendly plants, water conservation and wetlands.

• Jean Knight, Pasco Environmental Programs, will receive $3,000. Students will collect data in the field to be uploaded on the Pasco Water Web for use by all Pasco County students.

• Lisa Decker, Quail Hollow Elementary School, will receive $2,040. Students will participate in a field study to learn about freshwater and estuarine ecosystems.

• Margaret Higgins, Shady Hills Elementary School, will receive $1,413. Students will learn about the water cycle, watersheds, the aquifer and water pollution through container gardening and rainwater measurement.

For more information about the water management district, visit the agency's website.