Archived Outdoors

Clyde Elementary students leave legacy of water stewardship

Fifth graders at Clyde Elementary school worked with Haywood Waterways Association to stencil storm drains in their school campus parking lot this month.

The drains now provide the message that the water that flows into them goes straight into the stream next to the school and on to the Pigeon River. The students not only learned where water goes once it disappears through the grates of a storm drain, but also broadcast it to the public.

Christine O’Brien, project assistant, and Jane Falkenstein, outreach specialist, with Haywood Waterways, went over the basics of the water cycle and demonstrated why it’s so important to use water wisely, and keep it clean and free of debris.  

Then, using bright green paint and stencils to label each storm drain in the parking lot, kids cleaned each area, set up the stencils, and spray painted each one.

“It was environmental stewardship in action, a perfect example of how education plus service learning and a chance to make a difference can lead to a sense of ownership by the kids and a feeling of responsibility for taking care of our waterways,” O’Brien said.

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.