Father Andrew White School Science Teacher Wins $5,000 Eco Challenge Grant
Kristen Haley, a middle school science teacher at Father Andrew White, S.J. School in Leonardtown, received a surprise visit March 13 from WUSA9 meteorologist Topper Shutt and Andre Francis, director of strategic communications at Washington Gas. The two were on hand to present Haley with a $5,000 Eco Challenge Grant to fund an environmental science project aimed at restoring local aquatic vegetation.
The grant, part of a collaboration between WUSA9 and Washington Gas, supports student-led initiatives that promote environmental stewardship and education. Haley, who holds a degree in environmental science and a master’s degree in education, will use the funds to develop a submerged aquatic vegetation project with her students. The project involves growing native underwater grasses in a classroom environment before transplanting them into Breton Bay, a nearby tributary of the Potomac River.