The Well Watch Program (WWP) is an interdisciplinary earth's systems program providing K-12 students with a close-to-home, concrete, opportunity to investigate real science issues surrounding groundwater and surface water. This program enables students to better understand the science that guides their water management decisions.
The goal of the WWP is to develop a greater understanding and awareness of groundwater science and to develop an appreciation for the importance of groundwater to our region. We also aim to teach students the importance of field methods and getting their hands on the technical equipment to learn scientific methods.
The WWP gives students the opportunity to apply scientific and engineering practices while exploring crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas!
Get your students started today! Pairs well with Caring for Our Watersheds and the Poudre Learning Center's field experiences. Contact Ivonne Morales at imorales@plcoutdoors.org to learn more.
How It Works
We work with teachers every step of the way! Teachers are extremely overloaded with normal school activities. This is why we work so closely with teachers. The success of this opportunity depends on our assistance and support to teachers.
Presentations, training, equipment and other teacher and student resources are provided. Professional develop opportunities are also available! Contact us today to get started.
Meet the Team
Ivonne Morales, pictured to the left, is the Program Facilitator for the WWP and is the Secondary Specialist for the Poudre Learning Center. Ivonne was born and raised in Greeley, Colorado and graduated with degrees in Environmental Studies and Sociology from CU Boulder in 2017. Her hydro-sociology courses peaked her interest in water. Learning how fundamental water is as a resource for all living things, she hopes to help others understand their connection to water so they can better protect it and make better water management decisions.
Courtney Sandoval, pictured to the right, is the Water Ambassador for the WWP and is the Field Operation Assistant for Central Colorado Water Conservancy District. Courtney assists with the operations of the WWP. Courtney graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2017 with a degree in Environmental Studies. After landing a job in the water industry, she went on to complete a Graduate Certificate in Water Resources from Colorado State University. Growing up in rural Gilcrest, Colorado, Courtney wanted to work within the agricultural community and share the importance of managing water wisely and efficiently.
Chuck Call, pictured in the middle, is a Well Watch volunteer. Chuck was the Program Facilitator for the WWP up until 2017 but continues to be involved in the Well Watch Program as a volunteer and advisor. He is currently working on several personal projects and hopes to become more active in the program once these projects are complete. His experience as an elementary teacher allowed him to transform the WWP to meet today's science standards!
Program Update
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WWP team is currently facing some challenges. School visitation has been limited to essential visits for many schools, rightfully so, and a handful of students have opted for remote learning. To continue providing the WWP to all of our students during this pandemic, our team must develop new resources and presentations that can be used during in-person and remote learning.
Rather than seeing this as a set back, the WWP team sees this as an opportunity! The WWP team is currently developing new resources in order to continue providing the WWP to students during this pandemic regardless if they are completing school in person or remotely.
These new resources will also serve as a way to improve the sustainability of the WWP as it continues to grow. The new presentations, tutorials and activities that are currently being developed will help teachers to continue building their background information required for the WWP while also increasing their confidence in running the WWP in their classroom on their own with long-distance support from the WWP team. These new resources will also provide opportunities for students to bring the WWP home and include their families in the program. We're excited to share these new resources with our teachers and students soon!
We work with teachers every step of the way! Teachers are extremely overloaded with normal school activities. This is why we work so closely with teachers. The success of this opportunity depends on our assistance and support to teachers.Presentations, training, equipment and other teacher and student resources are provided. Professional develop opportunities are also available! Contact us today to get started.
