Press Release

Press Release
Update to AGW grant
Apples Get Wet (AGW) is a watershed study. The Musselman Science department has earned three grants this past summer from Ecolab, The Norcross Wildlife Foundation, and The Toshiba Foundation to fund this project. Additionally, AGW has several partners: The Eastern Panhandle Soil and Water Conservation District, the Cacapon Institute, Friends of Opequon Creek, (Kiersten Bivens delivered an informational slideshow to this group March 3rd.) and the Shawnee Girls Scouts. The Health Science and Technology Academy (HSTA) and the Conceptual Chemistry class are spear-heading the project. Students are collecting data, marking “hot spots” on the School property, learning about watershed dynamics, and participating in a Stream Cleaner activity with the Cacapon Institute. Sara Wurtenberg, with the Eastern Panhandle Soil and Water Conservation District, has brought in an Enviroscape watershed model to perform class demonstrations and to instruct students how to present the model. HSTA and the Conceptual Chemistry class have three upcoming dates (3-23, 3-30, and 4-14) to travel to Millcreek Intermediate to teach fifth graders watershed dynamics with the Enviroscape model.
Frank Rodgers, with the Cacapon Institute, delivered a slide-show overview of watershed dynamics in the fall; he works directly with HSTA and the Conceptual Chemistry class approximately twice a month. Frank has helped annotate Google Earth with Musselman’s “hot spots”. Frank is in the process of locating a landscape architect to work with Musselman’s CAD class to develop a plan for a rain garden at the School. Presently, the Conceptual class in participating in a mediated discussion board, called Stream Cleaners along with about three hundred students from Virginia and West Virginia. Cloe Raines, a Musselman student, has created a model “green roof” as a science fair project. Cacapon, Opequon, and Shawnee have promised to help with some funding to help with its installation. Frank has already invested several hours working directly with Musselman students to help launch AGW well in this its first year and to create a School survey to serve as the basis of an on-going watershed study.
Jane Barvir, with Shawnee Girl Scouts, is sponsoring a WET team at Musselman. There are about fifteen interested students who meet after-school on Thursdays. This program allows any Musselman student an opportunity to participate. Students who log thirty volunteer hours related to the grant goals may earn a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium in May. Shawnee is underwriting an Enviroscape model, buses for several field trips, and the cost of substitutes to cover for teachers chaperoning field trips. Shawnee has established WET teams in schools both in Virginia and West Virginia.
There are several upcoming dates planned; March 23rd, March 30th, and April 14th, students will use the Enviroscape model to teach Millcreek fifth graders watershed dynamics. On April 20th (April 24th is the rain date.), students will install a rain garden in celebration of Earth Day. On April 28th, HSTA and Conceptual students will participate in a stream study. (This is also part of the TMI trip HSTA took in the fall.) Additionally, there are plans for students from the Middle School and a primary school to bring students to Musselman for watershed instruction.