Science Teacher Mrs. Deitche awarded FAWQC’s E2 grant for 10th year in a row

On December 11, 2018, the head of Farragut’s science department and biology teacher Sari Deitche was given a $995 Environmental Education grant by the Florida Association for Water Quality Control (FAWQC). This is the tenth year in a row that Mrs. Deitche has been awarded this grant.

FAWQC is an association of professionals dedicated to managing, improving, and protecting the quality of Florida’s waters. The FAWQC E2 Fund was established to promote environmental education and awards grants for environmental projects at Florida schools, civic or community organizations, and awards prizes at Florida science fairs. Over the past ten years, FAWQC has given out over $150,000 in grants to schools around the state. E2 Grants are awarded based on the proposed project’s overall environmental value as to:

• Fostering awareness and understanding of a water-related issue;
• Being cost effective;
• Basing the project on sound scientific principles;
• Promoting the involvement of students or citizens; and,
• Promoting enhancement of a water resource or associated habitat.

Mrs. Deitche was awarded the grant during her 3rd-period Biology 1 class by FAWQC president Scott Deitche and vice president Ilia Balcom. Farragut was one of 30 schools that applied for the grant and was in first place out of 12 schools that received the grant in 2018.

The project that Mrs. Deitche proposed to receive the grant is a continuation of the one she received the grant for in 2017. It will be used for an experiment, including all science classes in Lower to Upper School, to help them study and learn about the importance of mangrove habitats. Our students will be growing mangrove seedlings in different types of soils and different environments to see what works the best. This project will help our students have a better understanding of mangrove shorelines, how they filter the water, and their importance to Tampa Bay.

To learn more about this project, read the news article from December of 2017.