The annual “Water Rocks” summit is underway at Iowa State University for some 31 teachers representing 24 Iowa school districts.
Spokesperson Ann Stout says the workshop participants range from kindergarten to high school teachers. “It’s helping to build educators’ awareness and their knowledge base of different environmental and agricultural topics, the interconnection of our water, our land, our wildlife in the state of Iowa,” Stout says. One topic they learn about is watersheds. “So a watershed is an area of land that all drains to a common water body. So, everything that happens on that land can ultimately affect the rivers, the streams, the lakes where that water ends up,” she says. Stout says it’s something that has been at the top of the news lately with high nitrate levels in rivers that are impacting the water supply for Des Moines and surrounding cities.
The event focuses first on water issues, but Stout says they also include some other environmental topics. They will have a professor from Central College in Pella teaching about the various bats in the state. “He’s going to share some information about the exciting role of bats, the different bats that we have here in Iowa,” she says. “And then as part of that, we will also be going on a field experience and netting bats. So, he’ll be setting out large nets and we’ll be going out at dusk to be able to see what sort of bats use different habitats here in Iowa.”
Stout says the goal is to give the teachers information they can use to teach their students about these topics. “We’re not giving them a curriculum, but we’re giving them, I would describe it as enhanced learning activities that they can then put into their existing curriculum,” Stout says. The “Water Rocks” summit got underway today in Ames and wraps up tomorrow.
Here are the teachers involved:
Lisa Roti, Clay Central Everly, Royal; Allison Dalton, Clear Lake High School; Kelsie Smith, Collins-Maxwell Elementary School; Jeannette Larrabee, Rebecca Munsterman, Community Christian School, Fort Dodge; David Brady, Trevor Eckols, Teri Olson, Des Moines North High School; Abby Brown, Durant Community School District; Russell Verburg George – Little Rock Community Schools; Jessica Hart, Hillcrest Academy, Kalona; Paige McDuffey, Interstate 35 High School; Maddie Kampf, Taylor Smith, Indianola/Irving Elementary School; Annie Bram, Lincoln Intermediate School, Mason City; Jamie Panosh, Meskwaki schools, Josie Hermanson, MMCRU High School; Elizabeth Helterbran, Mount Pleasant Van Allen Elementary; Missy Phifer, PCM Schools; Audra Faber, Pella Christian High School; Emily Becker, Joni Nelson Pleasant Valley Junior High School; Brooke Hanson, Postville Darling Elementary School; Michelle Woodall Roland-Story Middle School; Kaylene Johnson, Dakota Popp, Sac County Conservation/Ridge View School; Erica Niggemeyer Saint Theresa Catholic School, Des Moines; Renae Dahl, Jackie Harless, St. Benedict Catholic School, Decorah; Dana Davis Wayne Community Schools; Heather Maakestad, St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Waverly.