Science Day at Lihikai Elementary School

by Liz Foote

 

Today, Lihikai Elementary School had its annual Science Day, where professionals from various fields come in and take over a bunch of classrooms so they can do presentations for the students all day. It’s a great way for students to meet and hear directly from people from the community who work in scientific fields. 

One classroom was occupied by Steve Parabicoli and Joe Jares, veteran wastewater operators, who shared important water conservation messages with students, and impressed upon them that water is our most precious resource, and it’s “all of our job” to protect our water resources. The first steps in doing so are to learn why water is so important, and explore ways to protect and save water. Steve and Joe also sought to give students a look at how wastewater is treated, a process most of us may take for granted and know little about.

 Steve (left) and Joe (right)

It wasn’t all seriousness (there may have been a “pull my finger” and “crapper” reference here and there…), and the guys engaged the students with “Uncle Steve’s bag of tricks” which consisted of some props with educational messages. 

Students especially enjoyed getting squirted with a ‘safety purple’ squirt gun, and now they know what it means when they see piping and water fixtures in that color – it’s recycled water that is available for irrigation and other purposes, and is a great example of conservation.

After the bag of tricks was fully explored, Steve and Joe gave a presentation to the students to cover the water conservation themes in more depth. One of many take home messages that Steve shared with the students was "don't ever take clean water for granted."

Steve talked about the concept of sustainability, told the story of how the Clean Water Act came to be, and taught the students about the difference between ground water and surface water. He showed photos and took the students through the process of treating wastewater at the reclamation facilities on Maui. He also shared a few tips for saving water, such as turning the water off while brushing your teeth, installing devices like low flow shower heads and low flush toilets, and watering your lawn at night. Another important tip he shared is never to dispose of fats, oils and grease down the drain as they can block pipes and lead to sewage spills.

I’d like to share some additional photos from Steve and Joe’s presentation at Science Day, and thank them for letting me tag along and document it.

Steve showed the students what toilet flappers look like, and told them how important it is to make sure they aren't leaking and wasting water. If you hear a hissing noise, it may be leaking. You can perform a simple test by adding food dye into the toilet tank, and if your flapper is worn out, you'll see the dye in the toilet bowl.

Steve and his E.coli Giant Microbe buddy!

Steve explained to the students what microbes are, and pointed out that most bacteria are good, or "beneficial," and can assist in the wastewater treatment process.

 Steve described the water cycle, and how the planet doesn't make new water, it recycles the same water over & over again.

 Steve & Joe used an eyedropper and small model of the Earth to demonstrate that if the Earth were the size of a tennis ball, all the fresh water on the planet would equal just one drop