School Programs
GMWEA offers a number of programs and services for schools for students K-12.
- Science fair judging of water-related research projects, including the annual Vermont Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Fair (VtSTEM).
- Scholarships for students demonstrating excellent research on water-related topics, including a VSAC scholarship, travel funding for Vermont’s winner of the annual Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and VtSTEM Fair cash awards.
- Free basic water quality test kits for students grades 3 – 8.
- Free guided tours of water, wastewater, and stormwater management facilities throughout Vermont, including statewide coordination of Water Quality Day tours and open houses.
Free Water Testing Kits
GMWEA offers 100 of these $16 kits without charge to Vermont schools each year, in time for spring semester field-learning activities. Each year, over 400 students at 50+ schools throughout Vermont make use of our test kit program!
Created by the World Water Monitoring Challenge, the kits provide a hands-on, grade-appropriate tool that assesses four key variables of surface waters in their communities -- pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and turbidity. Students can take samples from streams, ponds, wetlands, or lakes and bring them to class for analysis. Each kit can be used for 50 rounds of testing!
GMWEA offers this free program as a public service to encourage awareness of the importance of water quality in Vermont. They're provided on a first-come, first-served basis in March/April; to request kits, contact Kirsten King.
Science Fair Judging, Awards, & Scholarships
GMWEA encourages students to study water ecosystems, drinking water filtration, source protection, wastewater treatment, storm water management, pollution prevention and remediation, and other subjects that bear upon our most precious resource. GMWEA's members and affiliates regularly volunteer to provide free, expert review of water quality-related curricula and projects.
Our judges award $500 in scholarships to students in grades 6 through 12 at the annual VT STEM Fair. We also provide a travel scholarship to the Vermont winner of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and a $1,000 scholarship to a promising high school graduate planning to continue study in a relevant field, awarded through Vermont Student Assistance Corporation.
For more information, contact Kirsten King.
Water & Wastewater Facility Tours
There's no better way to understand our water/wastewater infrastructure than a facility tour led by an expert. Most water and wastewater facilities welcome visitors year round; contact your municipal facility or GMWEA to schedule a tour. On Water Quality Day, in mid-May, GMWEA coordinates visits by hundreds of students and the general public to facilities statewide for fun and informative tours and activities.
If you would like to schedule a facility tour in your area, contact Kirsten King.
