WARSAW — Last August over 600 Warsaw High School freshmen traded their books and pencils for life vests and paddles to venture through Grassy Creek as part of the ninth annual “Water Drop.”

The program, which is made possible by the Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District, The Watershed Foundation and Warsaw Community High School, aims to educate students about their watershed and foster a relationship between them and nature.

After the adventure, the students participated in a writing contest to share what they learned on their field trip. Their directive was, “Using the facts you have learned about the threats and dangers to our watershed, create a document to share your knowledge with others. Let people know what the dangers are and what we all can do to help protect our watershed and our water resources. Think creatively about solutions to create an interesting vibrant document!”

Lyn Crighton, Executive Director of The Watershed Foundation, thanked the students for their excellent work and stated, “Remember that you have a voice – and you can take action for clean water now and in the future.” Top essay awards were presented to Hanna Bloemendaal, Abigail Seese and Nick Bazzoni. Top poetry prizes were given to Carter Schuh, Thalia Bornes and Rosa Roblero. To view these winning essays and poems, visit online.

Cash awards were presented to the top placing poems and essays, chosen by the judges. The contest is sponsored by The Watershed Foundation through the Mary Price Education Fund. Mary, who will be turning 105 this year, is a lifelong resident of Lake Tippecanoe and a retired English teacher. She created the special fund as a way for her friends and family to honor her birthday.

More than 70 volunteers and 15 sponsoring organizations come together annually to support this week-long innovative educational expedition.  Connecting youth to our local natural resources is a critical of protecting and preserving the waters of the Upper Tippecanoe River watershed.