(Trenton, NJ—June 19, 2009) The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Watershed Management and New Jersey Project WET have named High Tech High School science teacher Shelley Witham and her students—Willow Latham and Valentina Paiva of Jersey City, Kearny resident Anna Hsieh, and Sophia Ramos of Weehawken—the recipients of a $1,000 grant to conduct a Watershed Steward Project, announced Principal Karol Brancato.

Witham and the aforementioned students monitored water quality at locations along the Hackensack River in the Hackensack Meadowlands. Their efforts served as a continuation of work that they had begun last year, only this time they utilized further tests in order to obtain a more comprehensive analysis of the water quality.

“The Meadowlands are a key ecological system for both natural and human communities in the area,” notes Witham, who, along with her students, work in partnership with Captain Bill Sheehan, the Hackensack Riverkeeper, and his team, as well as Svetlana Kukhar, the 2008-2009 Watershed Ambassador for Watershed Management Area 5, which consists of the Hackensack River, Hudson River and Pascack Brook.

The Division of Watershed Management and New Jersey Project WET selected High Tech as one of two schools in the state to receive a grant for the Watershed Steward Project. Administering a variety of programs aimed at protecting and restoring water quality, controlling water pollution and ensuring adequate water supplies, the Division of Watershed Management addresses water pollution and supply issues so that more comprehensive strategies can be implemented.

Project WET, a nationally renowned program, offers teachers a better understanding about the world's water resources through hands-on, multi-disciplinary lessons. The program teaches about the importance and value of water in our every day life with formal and non-formal educators while offering specialized programs about New Jersey's water resources and watersheds.