PLUMSTED — Fourth-grade students in Mary Dancer’s class at the Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elementary School have been working with their art teacher, Rita Williams, to take part in the Barnegat Bay Blitz Rain Barrel Challenge for 2015.
The blitz is led by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in partnership with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, according to a press release from the Plumsted Township School District.
Dancer’s class enjoyed a visit from DEP representatives in early December to learn more about the project and how to build their own rain barrel.
The children first discussed and then sketched ideas about how the water in New Egypt can have an impact on the Barnegat Bay. They divided into groups of town, school, farms, Collier’s Mills and the Barnegat Bay, according to the press release.
The pupils worked throughout January and February to paint a rain barrel as a work of art. They showed the journey of “Gerry the Camel” through New Egypt, through the farms, through the Collier’s Mills wildlife preservation area and to the Barnegat Bay as he searched for clean water.
The colorful rain barrel will be part of a statewide contest, and parents and community members will soon find out how to vote online for their favorite rain barrel. The first round of public voting will occur from April 20 through May1 to choose finalists, according to the press release.
Rain barrels will be showcased throughout the watershed. The winning school will host a Barnegat Bay Festival Day in May or June.
Students learned about watersheds and became environmental stewards while working on the project, which combined science and art. The youngsters also learned to collaborate and to work as a team. Plans will be made for using the rain barrel in the elementary school garden to collect rain for watering plants, according to the press release.