GACD partners with Ag Experience STEM Challenge for schools

♦ Top three grade winners will receive $350 in prizes.

Georgia elementary classes in third through fifth grades are being challenged to put their science, technology, engineering and math skills to work to explore the realworld issues involved with water conservation in local communities.

Elementary teachers and their students may enter the Be In the Know, Conserve H2O STEM Challenge between Sept. 5 through Nov. 18 for the chance to win a prize package totaling $350 for their class. The top grade winner from the third, fourth and fifth-grade entries will win a prize package. The winners will be announced via a Zoom presentation on Dec. 2.

The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts, a nonprofit organization that promotes the conservation of natural resources, is partnering in the statewide competition, which the Georgia Ag Experience and Georgia Foundation for Agriculture coordinates.

Teachers interested in participating in the Be In the Know, Conserve H2O Challenge may visit www. gfb.ag/stemchallenge for more information and to register for the program. Once teachers register their class, they will receive instant access to a digital resource toolkit that equips the class for participating in the water conservation STEM challenge.

“The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts is excited to partner with the Georgia Foundation for

Agriculture on the 2022 fall STEM Challenge,” said GACD Executive Director Katie Sponberger. “This challenge, which focuses on water conservation, will help students understand how Georgia farmers are conserving and protecting water and how they as students can conserve water when gardening.”

Each participating class is being asked to answer the question “How can we improve water conservation in our garden spaces?”

The STEM challenge asks participating classes to complete the provided lesson plan and activities provided for the challenge and then create a video presentation no longer than five minutes that demonstrates what the class learned about improving and increasing garden spaces by using water conservation practices. Class presentations must be uploaded to YouTube for judging by Nov. 18.

“We developed the STEM challenge to connect elementary students to Georgia agriculture. This fall, students have an opportunity to explore the importance of water as a natural resource and how they can improve their school gardening spaces while using water conservation practices” said GFA Educational Programs Assistant.

The Georgia Ag Experience/Georgia Foundation for Agriculture STEM Challenge is designed to be a biannual competition with a spring and fall contest. The GACD is the 2022 challenge partner.

The purpose of the challenge is to encourage elementary teachers and students in grades 3-5 to explore aspects of Georgia agriculture by applying their STEM skills to solve real-world problems that farmers face in producing our food and fiber.