Willow Glen Resident

Education

Water district helps students understand the environment

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Hammer Montessori students at Galarza Elementary School came face to face with their past and gained a better understanding of their influence on the future.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District held a classroom presentation on Nov. 2 that showed students how local geography has changed during the last 5,000 years.

"It gives the students a sense of place," says Kathy White, Galarza fifth-grade social studies teacher, "a sense of where they live and a respect for the Earth and what's on it."

Galarza was one of the first schools in the Santa Clara County to host the new classroom presentation that was developed last summer by Kathy Machado, education outreach coordinator for the water district.

"The kids really see how things have changed with this particular activity," Machado says, "and see how they can be part of history. "

Machado has been going out to various schools in the county for the last 13 years teaching about the local watershed, the environment and how residents have an impact on their environment's future.

The program is presented to about 60 classrooms a month between September and May, Machado says.

The presentation, "Mapping History of the Santa Clara Valley," demonstrates the growth and change in the valley using a large canvas map and plastic figures of people and animals to represent various points in history.

Students are asked to place the appropriate people and animals on each segment and notice which disappear in the following segments and why.

"Cathy White was gracious to allow us to field test the program with her class and has welcomed us back," Machado says.

"It makes an impact on children when it's real, something that they can see and touch," White says. The kids see the bigger picture."

Being part of a brand-new program was just another step in cementing the water district's role with the school.

"It has become instrumental to solidifying the students' understanding of it," White says.