ALERT: With Mayor Bowser adjusting the District’s operating status in response to coronavirus (COVID-19), all non-essential agency events, gatherings and meetings are postponed. DOEE remains open. All staff will work remotely, except in limited cases. All DOEE operations and services remain unchanged unless otherwise stated. For operating status of DC Government and more information on response, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov. All MWEE activities have been suspended until further notice.
Since 2003, DOEE’s Watershed Protection Division has led the effort to provide District students with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs are multi-day programs that teach students about their local watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay through classroom lessons, field experiences, action projects, and reflection activities.
Recognizing the value of hands-on watershed education, the Mayor of the District and the governors of the Chesapeake Bay states signed the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement to provide meaningful watershed experiences for every student in the Chesapeake Bay watershed before graduation from high school.
MWEEs:
- Are investigative, or project-oriented
- Involve Preparation, Action, and Reflection
- Are Common Core and NGSS-aligned
- Reveal the watershed as a system
- Can be sustained throughout the school year
Conducting MWEEs in the District
DOEE currently offers the following MWEE initiatives:
- Overnight Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences
- Middle School Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences
The program offers District middle school students the opportunity of an outdoor, hands-on experience that connects students to their watershed and to the Chesapeake Bay. It builds off academic science standards and the Chesapeake Bay Program's Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences curriculum. The current program is available to Title 1 schools located in Wards 7 and 8.
Want to learn more?
For more information on this program, please contact P. Trinh Doan.