Approximately 3,000 third graders enjoy field trips at Cubihatcha
Even with heavy rains and severe weather from Hurricane Helene causing three days of rescheduling, the Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) Cubihatcha Center staff would not be deterred from hosting all third graders from Henry County Schools for their annual field trips, known as the “Cubihatcha Kids” educational program.
Now that the make-up visits have been completed, the Authority and its education partners can reflect on the success that comes from having more than 3,000 students and teachers visit the Cubihatcha Center for classes and activities in outdoor education. This is the 19th year the Authority has hosted students from Henry County Schools for these annual “Cubihatcha Kids” field trips.
“This program shows the long-standing commitment the Water Authority has to Henry County Schools and to helping educate our youth,” says Ken Presley, HCWA Reservoirs Manager, who oversees the Cubihatcha Center operations for the Authority. “Kids have a chance to get hands-on experience with science in fields related to what they’re studying in school. It’s not only fun, but its’ so educational and important for them to learn about the outdoors.”
The “Cubihatcha Kids” field trips were held during the week of Sept. 9-13, and then after fall break during the week of Sept. 23-27. However, the trips during the latter part of that second week had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Helene. The make-up field trips were completed on Sept. 30, and Oct. 21-23.
The field trips to the Cubihatcha Center provide opportunities for experiential or “hands-on” learning for students through outdoor classes and activities that correlate with the third grade Georgia Standards for Excellence and Applied STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Curricula.
Some of those topics students learn about during these field trips include: the water cycle, properties of water, gardening and farming, ecosystems, wildlife and habitats, stormwater pollution, environmental protection, and more. In addition, the field trips encourage student appreciation of natural resources and awareness of the HCWA’s role in the community.
The Authority began hosting these annual field trips to the Cubihatcha Center for Henry County elementary school students in 2003, missing only 2020-2021, when the field trips were cancelled due to the pandemic.
The “Cubihatcha Kids” field trips are organized by the Henry County Outdoor Education Partnership, a non-profit that includes the HCWA and Henry County Board of Education, among others. HCWA staff, volunteers and sponsors serve as teaching faculty during the two weeks of the third-grade field trips.
In addition, the annual Cubihatcha Kids Fishing Day, which was held earlier this year on June 8, helped to raise money to support this signature educational program at the Authority’s Cubihatcha Center in Locust Grove.
The HCWA Cubihatcha Center was built to coincide with the Authority’s wetlands mitigation plan, which accompanied the construction of its reservoir network. The HCWA owns and operates five drinking water reservoirs for its customers. Today, the Cubihatcha Center serves 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, Authority officials estimate more than 50,000 “Cubihatcha Kids” from Henry County Schools have participated in these annual field trips since 2003. As a result, the HCWA has won numerous awards for educational programming. Those include the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) Public Education Program of the Year Award on three occasions, as well as several GAWP Public Education Program Excellence Awards. In addition, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District has awarded the HCWA and its Cubihatcha Center with the STREAM Award for Education and Outreach Programming Excellence.
To get an idea of the enjoyment and excitement surrounding the “Cubihatcha Kids” field trips, please check out our photo galleries taken at this year’s event.
Captions for photos (top to bottom):
The Georgia Farm Bureau explained the importance of honeybees during the “Cubihatcha Kids” field trips this fall.
Students learn the importance of pollution prevention from the Authority’s Angie Cash during their annual field trip to the Cubihatcha Center.
Lorenzo Bennett (far right), HCWA Naturalist at the Cubihatcha Center, leads students through the community garden on site.
Rangers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources teach students about wildlife habitat during the recent field trips by Henry County third graders to the Cubihatcha Center.
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Media Contact: Chris Wood, Ph.D.
P: 770-757-1681
E: chris@jwapr.com.com or john.wood@gcsu.edu