From West Slope Now (Star Harvey):
Ute Water rolled out a giant map and an assortment of colorful ropes in the gym at Appleton Elementary School Tuesday morning.
The water district has designed a program called Unfolding Colorado Experience where they plan to go into every 4th grade class in School District 51 by the end of this year.
Their goal is to expose these students to a wide variety of Colorado history, including how certain landmarks and water systems are tied into communities.
Ute Water says it’s a really unique experience for these 4th graders because they get the hands-on application, which they believe is often over looked when educating the youth.
“We went through and aligned all of the lessons that we teach on the map, kids get on the map and they’re interacting and those lessons align with 4th grade state standards, we also use this map for adult learning, so we’ve done everything from kindergarten through adult leadership course, where we’re using the map for team building,” said Joseph Burtard, External Affairs Manager of Ute Water Conservancy District.
The water district says they’re not just here to provide their customers with water, but also to educate the community on the importance of being responsible stewards of water.