Inspiring Kids: Three North Carolina Teens Rise to the Challenge

 

Team Pollution Solution on the river!

 

Upon learning that the Catawba River was named by American Rivers as one of the most endangered rivers in the United States, Mary Hunter Russell, Katie Danis and Grace Wynkoop, of Gaston Day middle school set out to do something about it. They formed Team Pollution Solution, to educate students about water pollution and how to prevent it. The team creates and distributes science kits for elementary school teachers that provide lesson plans and hands-on materials for teaching about stormwater pollution and prevention.



Catawba River, Source: peakwater.org

The idea for the program spawned out of an interest to take on the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, a national contest for K-12 students to make environmental improvements in their community. After learning about the threats to the Catawba River, the team collected data and researched the sources of pollution. They determined that education on stormwater pollution prevention would create lasting impacts on the improvement of the water quality.

Visit the project's Facebook page here.

We love to hear the inspiring stories of dedicated youth such as these and we wish them the best of luck on their challenge!

Check out our bountiful listing of grants and contests to inspire your kids and get them kickstarted on a cool project!