September 21, 2024, 3:00 AM HST
On Friday, 787 fifth graders participated in the Kauaʻi Department of Waterʻs 19th Make a Splash with Project WET festival at the Vidinha Stadium Soccer Field in Lihue.
The event gathers parents, students, teachers, government resource agencies, community volunteers and businesses for a common cause: to educate students about water, our most precious resource.
“The Make a Splash festival demonstrates the importance of education and our commitment to promote the value of water in our communities,” said Jonell Kaohelauli’i, Project WET state coordinator and the department’s information and education specialist.
Kaohelauli’i said the department has a responsibility to educate the next generation of water leaders.
“Each year we share our knowledge with students through live demonstrations of real-life water topics and encourage critical thinking to give them a glimpse of how they can influence a sustainable water future,” Kaohelauli’i said.
The festival offers lessons in infrastructure, environmental impact and rehabilitation, groundwater, watershed management, scientific water properties and wastewater. Each activity is structured in two parts: a lesson and a hands-on component, to provide students with a memorable learning experience.
Make a Splash features activities from Project WET (Water Education Today), an award-winning curriculum of water education activities, in addition to water-related presentations from the water department’s community partners: Aqua Engineers and NOAA-Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle program.
For more information about Make a Splash Festival or the water department’s conservation and educational outreach programs, call 808-245-5455. To learn more about Project WET, visit www.projetwet.org.