Penn Manor is partnering with Millersville University (MU) on a $400,000 project to expand the teaching of watershed education in elementary schools.

MU has received a three-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries to train Penn Manor teachers and MU elementary education majors to educate students about the impact of human activity on local creeks, streams and rivers.

Called "Shared Waters: An Upstream-Downstream Collaborative," the project is a joint effort of MU, Penn Manor, Virginia Wesleyan University and Norfolk Collegiate School.

Over the course of three years, MU will provide professional development to 18 Penn Manor fourth-grade teachers and college faculty members and provide training on watershed education practices to 500 teacher candidates attending MU.

These trainees will take their newly acquired knowledge into their classrooms and serve as mentors for other teachers to implement watershed education activities for their students. In all, more than 1,000 elementary students will learn about the impact of local actions on the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

On Aug. 2, six teachers and administrators from Hambright and Eshleman Elementary schools began their training at MU's Watershed Education Training Institute, located at Creek Lodge, near the Conestoga River.

In addition to professional development and training, the grant will fund materials for students to participate in field trips and conduct field analysis on local waterways. In addition, the students will be asked to develop and implement projects to improve the health of habitats at creeks and streams near their schools.

Jerry Egan, Penn Manor assistant superintendent of elementary education, said the program will provide more hands-on opportunities to spark students' interest in science.