Educational Opportunities
Attention teachers!! Schedule your classroom presentations with Marybeth Watkins here
View Enviroscape Model demo here
2022 – 2023 Contests
“Water…the Cycle of Life” Winners
3rd—5th Grades: Poster Contests
 (Left to right) 3rd grade: Christian Blair & Kendall Loud- Town Creek Elementary |
 3rd grade: Lily Graham – Town Creek Elementary |
 3rd grade: (Left to right) Olivia Dowdy, Joanna Beltran (County winner), and Aleah Dowdy |
 4th grade: Maximillian Hasyn – Belville Elementary |
 4th grade: Kaelyn Hardy and Easton Neumann – Belville Elementary |
 4th grade: (Left to right) Gia Connolly and Maryory Soriano-Beltran – Bolivia Elementary |
 4th grade: (Left to right) Silas Helms, Walker Whiteside, and Bryant Babson (County winner) – Union Elementary |
 5th grade: (Left to right) Andrea Ramirez-Rivera, Jayda Solomon-Holmes, and Joshua Wiedrich – Belville Elementary |
 5th grade: (Left to right) Jaylene Mata (County winner), Loryanis A. Sinatra, and Wyatt Stanaland – Bolivia Elementary |
 5th grade: (Left to right) Max Zeuschner, Kaitlyn Gore, and Lola Myers – Union Elementary |
 (Left to right) 7th grade Speech Contest County Winner Phoebe Cumbee and 6th grade Essay County Winner Piper Gould – Shallotte Middle |
 8th grade Speech Contest County Winner Lexi Gillam South Brunswick Middle (Left to right) Muriel Watson, Lexi Gillam, and Principal Scott Dalton |
 9th-12th grade Speech County Winner Hannah Cumbee – West Brunswick High (pictured with teacher MaryAnne Gore) |
Contests rules can be found here
**Click on the grade below for information on contest (rules, guidelines, prizes, etc.)***
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Brunswick Soil and Water Conservation District Educational Resources
Contact Education Coordinator Marybeth Watkins at 910-253-2830 or email marybeth.watkins@brunswickcountync.gov
Classroom Presentations
Brunswick Soil & Water Conservation District staff are available to visit schools throughout the school year to discuss natural resource conservation topics related to soil (e.g., soil erosion, soil composition) and water (e.g., water quality, water conservation). We have the Enviroscape Watershed Model, Geology Kit, Groundwater Model, Soil Erosion Demonstration Model, Soil Texture Presentation, Goods from the Woods Kit, etc., that we can bring to your classroom for presentations or are available for loan.
Environmental Field Days
District staff are available to facilitate and/or participate in Environmental Field Days at all schools located within the county. Field Days would include stations that are set up with presentations on different natural resources. Examples of stations could be: water, forestry, soils, wildlife, pollination, etc.
Envirothon Competition
Each year, a 5-member team of Brunswick County middle/high school students are chosen to participate in the Envirothon. Teams are given information on 5 different topics: forestry, aquatics, soils, wildlife, and current environmental issues for study resources. The Brunswick Soil & Water Conservation District pays for registration fees and most travel expenses for the Coastal and State events when applicable.
Life On The Farm
Brunswick County Farm Bureau’s “Life On The Farm Program” provides third grade students a fun day of exploration outside of the classroom. It offers them an opportunity to see a farm and learn where their food comes from. This program also focuses on the interdependence between plants, animals and humans. In 2014 Brunswick Soil & Water Conservation District became an active partner in this program.
Plants For Pollinators
The Brunswick Soil & Water Conservation District developed the Plants for Pollinators in the Classroom to help students in Brunswick County discover the importance of native pollinators and study the relationship between plants and pollinators. Teachers and students use the indoor growing kit (complete with plant stand, grow bulbs, potting soil and seeds) to explore plant growth, conduct experiments and raise plants.
Annual Poster, Essay, Public Speaking and Computer Generated Poster Contests
New topics are chosen each year. There are 3 levels of competition, County, Area and State. The contests categories are listed below:
Poster Contest – 3rd-5th grades
Essay Contest – 6th grade
Public Speaking Contests – 7th & 8th grades
Public Speaking Contest – 9th – 12th grades
The deadline for contest entries is the end of February. Prizes are awarded to 1st place county winners. Prizes range from $40-$125 according to the contest. Students total winnings could be almost $500 if they win the County, Area and State Competitions. Links for detailed contests information is provided above.
Resource Conservation Workshop
Each year, one or more high school students are selected to attend the Resource Conservation Workshop, which is held at North Carolina State University during the last week of June. The week-long workshop is designed to encourage students to pursue a degree in a natural resource conservation field. Brunswick Soil & Water Conservation District provides registration and meal costs.
Teachers’ Workshops
Workshops feature hands-on training on various topics concerning conservation-related issues. If your school is interested in having a workshop, please contact the Brunswick Soil & Water Conservation District.
The Conservation Conversation Newsletter – September 2017
The Conservation Conversation Newsletter – September 2017 (page 2)