Grants Keep Water Education in Temecula, Murrieta Classrooms

Western Municipal Water District's 2013 Lois B. Krieger Water Project Grants for Educators have been awarded, and 24 teachers from throughout western Riverside County will now have the resources they need to keep water education in the classroom. These grants are an important part of water education as most of the classroom projects would not be possible without the grants, which range from $360 to a maximum of $700.

This year, Western received a record number of entries and awarded as many projects as possible, spanning from Temecula up to Jurupa Valley and from kindergarten through twelfth-grade. While projects from new applicants are always submitted, there are also several teachers who year-after-year make water education a priority and apply for the Krieger Grant program.

The Murrieta- and Temecula-area grant recipients are:

Cathleen Hansen, Thompson Middle School, Murrieta, "How Clean is Our Stream"

Judith Howell, Thompson Middle School, Murrieta, "How Clean is Our Stream"

Gabriela Luebeck, Thompson Middle School, Murrieta, "How Clean is Our Stream"

David Marrett, Murrieta Valley High School, Murrieta, "Native Plant Nursery"

Chris Scolinos, Thompson Middle School, Murrieta, "Water & Ancient Egypt"

Carrie Burdick-Rutz, Great Oak High School, Temecula, "Drips and Drops for Each Seed"

Nancy Windus, Temecula Middle School, Temecula, "Thirsty Plants"

“The commitment from these teachers who inspire their students to learn more about water is truly what the Krieger Project Grants are about,” shared the members of Western’s Community and Government Affairs Committee, Directors Brenda Dennstedt and S.R. “Al” Lopez. “For the majority of these teachers, they wouldn’t be able to conduct their water lessons without the funding.”

Western’s grant program is named in honor of Lois B. Krieger, who served on Western’s Board of Directors for 25 years and was also the first female chairperson for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She is a true pioneer in the water industry, and her contributions to the water field continue to inspire teachers and students throughout Riverside County and beyond.

—News release submitted by Western Municipal Water District. Read the full release here.