LIHU‘E — The O‘opu — there are five different kinds, said Aaron Swink of the Division of Aquatic Resources — have a difficult time negotiating its way up freshwater streams, laying its eggs, and returning back to the open ocean.
Add the drought conditions that is currently existing on all the Hawaiian Islands, and the obstacle course in the fish’s life cycle is tested to its height as a student upended the waterfall greeting the O‘opu that followed the freshwater separation in the ocean to the mouth of the freshwater stream.
That was just one of the 11 educational, inter-active stations set up by the Department of Water and community partners, Thursday when the Make A Splash water education event returned following a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have 753 fifth grade students from 11 schools participating this year,” said Jonell Kaohelauli‘i of the DOW. “Before we shut down because of the pandemic, there were 14 schools participating. Because of the school bus shortage, we even have several of The Kaua‘i Bus involved in getting students here for the 17th year we’ve presented this.”
Students receive a backpack filled with water education material that are enhanced by participating in the inter-active stations like the O‘opu Obstacle Course, that cover different facets of water education from scientific to the more practical everyday.
Additionally, in the two-year absence of Make A Splash, a project of the national Project Wet initiative, there have been increased awareness in areas like climate change, water conservation, and even the weather that connect to water. These areas were also effectively been melded into the curriculum as demonstrated by the drought conditions that Hawai‘i is currently suffering through.
“It’s been so long since the students have had a field trip, this is like new to them after two years,” said Ronson Sahut, a teacher from the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School that has accompanied students to Make A Splash for several years before the shutdown. “The students see other students from their school arriving in different buses and the reunions are amazing. It’s like they forgot what field trip experiences are.”
Other stations like Humpty Dumpty where students re-build ecosystems take on more contemporary climate change consideration in addition to water education.
“One of the new facets of this year’s Make A Splash is the Hybrid Facilitator Training where we have several O‘ahu-based representatives, and the Hawai‘i Rural Water Association leading several of the stations so they get a feel for the Make A Splash experience,” Kaohelauli‘i said. “We are the only county in the state that offers this water education program, and hopefully, with the experience these facilitators bring back, we can make this bigger in the state.”
Kaohelauli‘i said one of the new stations added this year is the Marine Animal Response, and the Reclaim Water station presented by Aqua Engineers and featured a working model of the Puhi Wastewater Plant.
Students conducted pH tests on a variety of household items to learn on which items are safe for disposal without harming the bacteria that help break down the water and helps in the reclamation process.
Sahut said the material presented is a lot for students to learn.
“If the students had material ahead of time, they would be in a better position to learn,” Sahut said. “We could be working on classroom projects and learning before we get here, and the students would be in a better frame of mind to learn.”
