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Highlands Today

12 County Teachers Receive 'Splash!' Mini-Grants

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Special ToHighlands Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 3, 2008

SEBRING - Twelve Highlands County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

This year the water 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, said "These teachers are receiving a small amount of money but are able to accomplish so much.

"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 Highlands County awardees include:

• Lydia Tubbs, Lake Placid Middle School, will receive $2,770. Students will visit the Fazzini Wilderness Center to compare and contrast uplands and wetlands surrounding the Peace River. They will also conduct water quality testing and habitat investigations.

• Mildred Molina, Avon Elementary, will receive $1,328.66. Students will expand and maintain an existing on-campus butterfly garden and read water-related books.

• Christina Starling, Avon Elementary, will receive $1,385. Students will take a field trip to Highlands Hammock State Park and read water-related books.

• Rosemarie Wall, Avon Park High School, will receive $1,141.85. Students will collect and test local water samples, documenting their results in data tables, posters and journals.

• Cheryl Moffat, Avon Park High School, will receive $2,284. Students will perform water quality tests on local water bodies. They will record and document their results.

• Cheryl Vermilye, Cracker Trail Elementary, will receive $731.10. Students will perform water quality tests and water-related classroom experiments. They will also read books about water conservation and perform activities from the district's K-3 watershed resources box and water conservation kit.

• Susan Harris, Hill-Gustat Middle School, will receive $4,040. Students will take field trips to Archbold Biological Station and the MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center to compare and contrast the two distinct ecosystems. They will create PowerPoint presentations to document the experience.

• Dena Dusek, Memorial Elementary School, will receive $2,183. Students will read water-related books, perform water-related classroom experiments and perform tests on local water bodies.

• Angela Mann, Sebring High School, will receive $2,970. Students will collect local freshwater samples from around Highlands County and use microscopes to document and identify the different microorganisms found in the samples, as well as perform water quality tests.

• Donna Tomlinson, Sebring Middle School, will receive $1,928. Students will perform water quality tests and create a hydroponics garden.

• Millie Anderson, Sun 'n Lake Elementary, will receive $700.47. Students will read water-related books, perform classroom experiments and engage in activities from the District's K-3 Watershed Resources Box.

• Elena Wirick-Velez, The Kindergarten Learning Center, will receive $2,033.73. Students will read water-related books, perform classroom experiments and maintain an in-class terrarium system to study natural systems and life cycles.

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.

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