Water Festival award honors city for support
Project educates Arizona children about the vital natural resource
Children in Yuma learn about the vital role water plays in their lives through a statewide program, and now local partners have been recognized for doing their part.
Kerry Schwartz, director of Arizona Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and education program coordinator of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Water Resources Research Center, presented the city’s Utilities Department with an award for supporting the University of Arizona’s “Water Festival Program.” Project WET provides teacher professional development with the aim of deepening children’s understanding of water.
Participating teachers take their students to a Water Festival Community Education Event, a one-day celebration of water located outside of school. At the event, trained volunteers engage the children in an “interactive and fun” exploration of the groundwater system, watersheds, water conservation and the water cycle. The festival event can be adapted to field days, after-school programs and family science nights.
The award recognized the Utilities Department for 10 years of sponsoring and delivering the Water Festival program in Yuma.
The university has been working with the city in this “very important program,” Schwartz said. “We’re really grateful for the partnerships we have with the Yuma community. We have great partnerships here.”
Over the last 10 years, the program has engaged 5,848 Yuma-area students and 223 teachers.
“These established lessons are facilitated by Yuma utilities professionals and others. They engage students while the students have fun,” Schwartz explained.
In addition, more than 380 professionals have volunteered, providing 1,500 hours of service over the last 10 years.
“Without their support and dedication, this opportunity that meets learning benchmarks for fourth-grade students wouldn’t reach those students,” she noted.
She called the department “a well-oiled machine” and added, “I would be remiss if I didn’t mention its fearless leader, Yuma’s water quality assurance supervisor Susanna Hitchcock. She’s been a committed partner as the point person for this festival and Arizona Project Wet workshops in the area.”
Schwartz presented the award to Hitchcock, Utilities Division Manager Jeremy McCall, Utilities Director Jay Simonton and department employees.
“Thank you very much. It’s a very strong department and I’d like to thank Mr. Simonton for his leadership there,” Mayor Doug Nicholls said.