To encourage students to explore the impact of their school site on the watershed, Virginia Beach City Public Schools hosted the first-ever Our Watershed Needs Identified for Today and Tomorrow (OWN-ITT) competition. Seventeen schools took up the challenge.

As part of their projects, teams calculated pervious and impervious areas for their schools; traced the drainage flow from their school to the watershed; identified pollutants transmitted by stormwater runoff; identified how the effects of stormwater in our region has changed over the past 100 years; and research the social, economic and environmental impacts, otherwise known as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). They also identified possibly solutions and even used ArcGIS, a mapping and analytics platform.

Congratulations to all of the participants and winners:

Elementary school category

First Place           Bayside ES          ($500)

Second Place      Arrowhead ES    ($250)

Third Place          Trantwood ES    ($150)

*Honorable Mention      Providence ES ($100)

Middle school category

First Place           Princess Anne MS            ($500)

Second Place      Virginia Beach MS            ($250)

High school category

First Place           Kellam HS                           ($500)

Second Place      Ocean Lakes HS                ($250)

 

Tim Cole, the division’s sustainability officer, said that “We hope this competition provided a deeper understanding amongst students and staff of the interconnectedness and interdependency of systems and how those systems have social, economic and environmental outcomes, as well as how important it is to be able to tell that story in a clear and concise manner.”

Among the many judges were experts in the field of sustainability, including representatives from Lynnhaven River Now, the Elizabeth River Project the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Old Dominion University and WHRO.

Winning schools will be recognized May 30 during a ceremony at the Brock Environmental Center.