Two District Five Schools Receive Conservation Education Mini-grants

IRMO, SC – Two Lexington-Richland District Five schools have earned “mini-grants” from the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (RSWCD) to help further service learning projects.

The grants for Dutch Fork Middle School and Irmo Middle School provide up to $250.00 for school conservation projects, promoting environmental stewardship. The RSWCD Conservation Education Mini-Grants are awarded annually to local schools and are chosen from a pool of applicants. Two other Midlands schools – Logan Elementary and Meadowfield Elementary – also received this year’s grants.

“Environmental education is important, not only for the planet, but also for children’s academic, physical, mental and emotional development,” said Chanda Cooper, Richland Soil and Water Conservation District educator.

At Dutch Fork Middle, school officials said the Junior Beta Club members will use the grant to further their campus beautification project.

Photo: Students at Irmo Middle add discarded food to their school compost bins. New Richland Soil and Water Conservation District mini-grants for Dutch Fork Middle School and Irmo Middle School will provide up to $250.00 for school conservation projects, including the composting project at Irmo Middle. 

“(It) will provide this year’s Junior Beta Club members a very meaningful service-learning project while promoting conservation education,” said Dutch Fork Middle School teacher Lori Wenzinger. “Working collaboratively on the hands-on project will enhance environmental studies and encourage an appreciation for nature.”

For Irmo Middle, the RSWCD award is the second grant earned this year to support the school’s growing composting program. The international academic magnet school also earned a DonorsChoose.org grant to help launch the project, which utilizes discarded food from the cafeteria for composting.

Irmo Middle School science teacher Jennifer Cook, who helps lead the project at the school, says the grants have helped grow the project and get the students excited about doing something good for the environment.

“They are even writing a children’s book that will be given to elementary schools in our district in the hopes of inspiring others to begin the composting process in their homes and schools,” said Cook, adding that students hope to one day make the compost available to the community. “The new grant (from RSWCD) will help us purchase the materials needed for packaging our compost…we are grateful for the grant and for the opportunity to teach our students that small projects can have a big impact on their community.”