MAY'S FOCUS ON WATER
AFFORDS LOCAL STUDENTS
LEARNING OPPORTUNITY AT AUB

ATHENS, Tenn. - May is the month to celebrate clean drinking water, a time to recognize the importance of a clean water supply to our daily lives. Water week was officially recognized May 4 - 10. For hundreds of local students, May is a month for education on how clean water is produced and delivered to our homes.

On Monday, May 12, 100 second graders from City Park School poured into AUB’s water treatment plant off of Ingleside Avenue and into the Mouse Creek wastewater treatment facility for a day of fun and education. By month’s end, more than 400 second-, third-, and fourth-grade students from City Park, Ingleside, and Westside Schools will have participated in such tours.

Jill Davis, AUB’s head of water and wastewater, believes hosting the tours offers more than a fun field trip for students.

“No doubt we have a lot of fun with the students. We plan for that. But we also provide real-world education so that the kids learn what it takes to produce clean water and to maintain a clean environment,” she said. “Kids know that when they turn on a faucet they get clean water; flush a toilet and the water disappears. But few ever see what it takes to make that happen and how important it is to daily life.”

To inform and have fun while doing it, Davis and her AUB colleagues lead the kids through learning stations where activities include cool craft projects that cleverly slip in a lesson about clean water. “To move to the next station and get a reward they answer a few questions about what they’ve been seeing. It works. They learn, the have fun, and they take that with them back home and to school,׏ Davis said.

AUB spokesman Wayne Scarbrough said that another plus is in showing students how school studies relate to real life. “Remember back in school asking, ‘When will I use this math stuff?’” Scarbrough asked. “We teach the kids that if we want clean water, we first have to have smart people like them who know their math and science, because that’s what it takes.”

Dr. Craig Rigell, superintendent of Athens city schools, believes this approach really holds water. “Extending student learning outside of the regular school setting is very important, so we appreciate programs like this that help students apply what they learn in the classroom,” he said. “We are happy to team up with AUB during Water week to teach students about the importance of clean water.”

Scarbrough said that many people-kids and adults alike-are unaware of the nuances of water systems and wastewater use and how one action affects the larger environmental picture. The field trips provide pertinent lessons, he said.

“There’s a saying, ‘We all live downstream,’” Scarbrough said. “Roadside litter, household trash, a car’s oil leak all affect our water system when rain washes down storm drains and out to the environment,” he pointed out. “The kids learn this during the tours and, we hope, take that lesson home with them. By educating the kids, we hope to educate families and future generations,” he said.

Schools interested in tours of AUB water facilities should call the water division at 745-4501, or email AUB at aub@aub.org.