Water, Water Everywhere! (What's Safe to Drink?)

Thank you! (even for just clicking this link) I am a special educator at a low-income, hurricane-impacted, alternative school. More than 90% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Our school represents a unique opportunity for students, because we serve a segment of the student population that is truly struggling: We only accept students at least (2) years below grade level. We're an accelerated program, and while we cover the same material as other schools in Louisiana, we move at almost twice the pace -- In effect, students can "accelerate" and move up two years in one academic year. While we have an amazing leadership team, qualified & dedicated faculty, and students that, at heart, really desire success... many students have resigned themselves to failure. To many, High School seems an impossible obstacle, and the only hope for a college education is a football scholarship. This year we're starting several new clubs, among them, I am proposing "Saturday Explorations." This will be a chance for students to go above and beyond, taking time from their weekends to engage in hands-on learning experiences that will be high-interest and focused on the daunting subjects of Math & Science. There will also be a significant concentration on contributions of women & minorities to these fields, in order to help empower students to succeed -- not just in school, but in life. As a nation, we're struggling in Math and Science. While our school has seen significant increases in testing scores, we still struggle in Science. It's abstract, and learning through typical means such as books test-preparation materials isn't working. We will be undertaking several ambitious projects this year, and one of the most applicable to their lives will be water quality. Their school and community is surrounded rivers, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries... and unfortunately, some of the largest petrochemical refineries and agricultural processing plans that I've ever seen. With this kit, students will be able to explore their community on a whole new level while learning principles of mathematics, science, and technology that they will carry for the rest of their lives. Students will learn the scientific method, have the opportunity for hands-on data collection / graphing, and obtain a sense of responsibility for an aspect of their community. Here's your chance to help. Through your generous contribution, you will impact their investment in education, community, and the very lives of these students. Your contribution will give us a complete water testing kit that will help put science in an entirely new light. Help my students succeed. They are ready to learn, but their books just aren't enough.