HCWA hosting field trips for Cubihatcha Kids
Approximately 3,000 third-grade students and 120 teachers from Henry County Schools will take their classroom lessons and activities outdoors for two weeks during this year’s field trips of the “Cubihatcha Kids” outdoor education program. The Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) will be hosting this award-winning public education event at its Cubihatcha Outdoor Education Center in Locus Grove for the 16th year.
The “Cubihatcha Kids” will be visiting the Center during a two-week period (before and after Fall Break for Henry County Schools) from Sept. 16-20, and Sept. 30 – Oct. 4, 2019. (Note: Friday Oct. 4 is a scheduled make-up day in the event of rain or for any other contingency.)
This annual event is organized by the Henry County Outdoor Education Partnership, which includes the HCWA, the Henry County Board of Education, the Henry County Board of Commissioners/Stormwater Management, and other public and private organizations and volunteers, who either serve as faculty or sponsors for this signature event.
The field trips to the Cubihatcha Center provide opportunities for experiential or “hands-on” learning for students through outdoor classroom activities that correlate with the third grade Georgia Standards for Excellence and Applied STEM Curricula. In addition, the field trips encourage student appreciation of natural resources and awareness of the water/sewer utility’s role in the community.
The “Cubihatcha Kids” will spend their designated day on the campus of the Cubihatcha Center participating in activities applied to topics such as: Native Wildlife Habitats, Bee Apiaries, the Life of a Tree, Watershed Enviroscape, Watershed Pollution, Sediment in the Streams, Fish of the Reservoir, FOG (fats, oils and grease) Relays, H2O Olympics, The Water Cycle, Gardening and Harvesting, Fire Prevention, Electric Safety and Friction, the Water Treatment Process, the Waste Water Process, and more.
The HCWA Cubihatcha Center was built to coincide with the Henry County Water Authority’s wetlands mitigation plan, which accompanied the construction of its reservoir network. Shortly after the facility opened, the Cubihatcha Staff began hosting field trips for Henry County students in 2003, and the Cubihatcha Center has grown to serve as the focal point of HCWA public education and outreach.
The Cubihatcha Center consists of 1,000 acres of bottomland hardwood, forested wetlands and uplands, nature trails, outdoor classrooms, a community pavilion, the HCWA Reservoir and Land Management office, as well as avenues/areas for outdoor recreation.
To date, an estimated 46,000 “Cubihatcha Kids” from Henry County Schools have participated in these annual field trips. As a result, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District has recognized the “Cubihatcha Kids” initiative with its STREAM Award for Education and Outreach Program Excellence, while the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) has awarded the HCWA with its Gold Award for Public Education Program Excellence.
Media Contact:
Dr. Chris Wood
P: 770-757-1681
E: chris@jwapr.com or john.wood@gcsu.edu