IFCD 3 Partners with Local Schools to Educate Youth on Flood Control

What do IFCD 3 employees and Valley Ranch students have in common? An interest in weather and the environment! Knowing this topic is one on which IFCD 3 can provide first-hand knowledge, our team created a hands-on mini-curriculum for local elementary schools on the topic of weather and flood control.

During the past four years, IFCD 3 has partnered with several schools in the community, including Valley Ranch Elementary, Richard J. Lee Elementary and Canyon Ranch Elementary, to engage second- and third-grade children on the topic of weather and flood control.

Following a presentation by IFCD 3 operations leaders, a class project is implemented where pupils split into small groups and build their own 3D flood control models, testing them with mock weather conditions. The groups then present their models to a panel of judges, who critique each group’s solution based on creativity, functionality and lessons learned with the experience. Even during the virtual learning stage of the pandemic, IFCD 3 reinvented the program to enable individual, remote and socially distanced learning. We distributed project supplies to individual students, supported teacher presentations delivered via Zoom and even helped judge the completed projects online.

For the 2022 spring semester, we’re excited to announce that initial plans are underway to return this program to campuses in-person, operating within safety protocols. Additionally, we’re also exploring a pilot program for homeschool students, seeking to reach as many Valley Ranch students with this immersive and informative program as possible.

Want to keep up on this program and other flood control-related activities in the District? Our website provides a wide range of both historic and current information on our service to Valley Ranch, and updates also are available through IFCD 3’s Twitter feed and Facebook page.