Elementary students Make A Splash for the environment

More than 370 students from five elementary schools participated in the annual Make a Splash festival April 13. The event educates students on the diversity of estuary life and the importance of Delaware’s water resources. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control co-sponsors the event, which is held annually at the St. Jones Reserve, a component of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Department of State Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs’ John Dickinson Plantation near Dover.

Throughout the day, students visited activity stations dedicated to the historical and current uses of Delaware’s water resources, such as recycling’s impact on clean waterways, a wetland walk and a wave tank. From singing sea shanties to partaking in the Incredible Journey: The Water Cycle, students were submersed in all forms water.

“Make a Splash is a great opportunity for students to connect what they are learning in their classrooms to what is happening in the environment,” said Shawn M. Garvin, DNREC secretary. “In experiencing those connections, it is our hope to inspire the next generation of Delaware’s water resource stewards.”

Students from Lighthouse Christian School, John Bassett Moore, Townsend, South Dover and Rehoboth elementary schools participated.