Gorrie Elementary – Ms. Melius’s 5th Grade

Gorrie Elementary is an old school located in historic Hyde Park close to Bayshore Blvd. and Hillsborough Bay. Many students in Ms. Melius’s class live close to the bay, as a result their keen eyes tune into water-related issues. Students have been considering the reasons behind a collection of garbage along the canals in Davis Island. One canal in particular, used to divide the island until part of it was filled to build the Peter O. Knight Airport years ago. Students hypothesized that litter in the canal travels from the streets of their community through the stormwater system. In their research to understand the stormwater problem, students learned who in the community monitors water quality and stormwater drains and who is responsible for education and protection of inlets. They recently learned about another impediment to stormwater flow – barnacles! This is a problem fixed by periodic clean-ups by the city’s stormwater department. A policy surprise was the finding that it is illegal to blow yard clippings and debris into stormwater drains and canals. When it comes to yard debris, palm leaves seem to be the biggest problem Ben Koplin, a Stormwater Environmental Coordinator working for the city of Tampa, has been the latest ally for students. He informed students that stormwater markers only last about ten years before they wear off. Stormwater drains hadn’t been marked since 1998. He also provided students with a map of all the inlets on Davis Island and direction for where they lead. Students created several strategies that involved local citizen groups: ● worked with the Davis Island Civic Association and Garden Club to help mark storm drains ● designed informative brochures and magnetic bumper stickers with a stormwater message and passed these out to community members while teaching them how to compost yard clippings ●educated their school’s PTA about stormwater protection and arranged for two families to monitor the water in the canal for the upcoming year ●wrote a mini grant to secure funding from SWFWMD to pay for materials SOPFE, Suncoast Earth Force’s mascot, makes an appearance on the bumper sticker. She has a tear in her eye and yard waste floating around her. The slogan says it all: “Make haste. Pick up your yard waste”. Community partners working with Ms. Melius’s class include: SWFWMD, various individuals from the Environmental Protection Commission; Ben Koplin, City of Tampa Stormwater; Judge Foster; Jai Buttram, lawn professional; Davis Island Civic Association, Davis Island Garden Club and Gorrie PTA. To hear their story click here: