PRESS RELEASE

IUK students demonstrate water conservation to area middle schoolers

KOKOMO, Ind. — It’s one thing to hear when you throw a candy wrapper out your car window, it could end up as trash in a nearby creek.

It’s another to see that demonstrated in bright colors.

Students from Indiana University Kokomo showed the impact of litter and other pollutants on the watershed at a recent Earth Day event attended by nearly 500 middle schoolers, using a watershed table, a model that shows how all water, whether from precipitation or melting snow, flows into a common body of water like a river, lake, or ocean.

Middle schoolers sprinkled the pollutants — cocoa powder, sprinkles, and colored drink powders — on the table.

“We let them use spray bottles to imitate rain, and they saw how the pollutants were picked up by the rainwater and carried into the river basins and reservoirs,” said Tera Gotschall, one of three students who led activities in Jackson Morrow Park.

“We talked about how we can prevent pollutants from entering our waterways, educating them about making sure they don’t pollute, and do their best to make the environment safe,” she said. “They had a lot of fun at our station. The hands-on aspect of it brought them in, and they learned a lot from it. They were really engaged with us.”

Gotschall, from Tipton, together with Amelia Santos and Vivianne Pentland, both from Kokomo, led activities for seventh graders from Maple Crest, Central, and Eastern middle schools at the Kokomo Parks and Recreation Department Earth Day field trip. Leda Casey, teaching professor of geology, planned the demonstration and provided support to students during the day. They also gave reusable water bottles to those attending.

Casey noted that the water bottles and watershed table were made possible by a grant from NIPSCO.

“They were a huge hit,” she said of their materials. “The students loved having something to take with them. The watershed table was an engaging model, and now it’s something we have for classes, campus visits, and for the Office of Sustainability to use. It’s a wonderful tool for us to have.”

She praised the IU Kokomo students’ leadership at the event, adding that after she showed them what to do, they took it over and she was just nearby to help as needed.

“You know you’ve done well when you are no longer needed,” Casey said. “As a teacher, I was so proud of them and the work they did. Education and outreach are an important part of sustainability. Having that experience and trying it on their own helps them explore if that’s what they wanted to do for a career.”

Casey said they were invited to participate by Morgan Weir, an IU Kokomo alumna who is a recreation programmer for the City of Kokomo Parks and Recreation.

Weir said their demonstration was one of the highlights of the day.

“The watershed demonstration and discussion on how pollutants affect our environment was both informative and eye opening for the students,” she said. “We also greatly appreciated the reuseable water bottles provided, which helped reinforce the sustainability message in a tangible way.”

Gottschall, who graduates in May with a degree in earth and sustainability science, said it was inspiring to see an alumna working in the same field she’s studying. She’s considering working in environmental consulting, continuing to study wildlife biology, or working at a nature center in a public facing role educating people about the importance of conservation.

The Earth Day experience, along with other opportunities she’s had through IU Kokomo, gave her a chance to explore many career possibilities in the field.

“It was nice to see all the students enjoy our model. They had fun and we worked together well as a team answering their questions,” she said. “Being involved in a community event like that and being able to teach these younger kids about something that is important to us all made me feel I was making a difference.”

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.