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About Project SwellTimelineProject SWELL teaches our children about the importance of our recreational waterways and human-water interaction through a well-balanced, comprehensive and hands-on water quality and pollution prevention curricula. This unique San Diego-based education program educates our children about pollution prevention and how their participation can help to improve the health of our ocean and waterways.
2002 - Coastkeeper Spearheads Education Subcommittee of Clean Water Taskforce with goal of creating pollution prevention and water quality education unit that enhances the existing science curriculum in San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). In addition to Coastkeeper, Subcommittee includes SDUSD, the City of San Diego, the San Diego Port District, the San Diego County Water Authority and the County of San Diego. The Subcommittee meets on regular basis to develop this program, later named Project SWELL (Stewardship: Water Education for Lifelong Leadership). 2003 - In May, Project SWELL was officially launched during a press conference. Mayor Murphy, City Council member Scott Peters, Superintendent Alan Bersin, Port Commission Chair Jess Van Deventer, Coastkeeper Executive Director Bruce Reznik and other project partners undertake Schoolyard Sleuth activity at Webster Elementary School to debut 5th grade unit. 2004 - The City of San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper enter into Joint Licensing Agreement for Project SWELL, and the 5th grade curriculum fully rolls out in all SDUSD. The Curriculum allows students to understand the distribution of water on Earth, consider the sources of water in San Diego, understand the differences between sewers and storm drains and learn how they can help prevent water pollution. 2005 - The 6th grade lesson debuts, with an emphasis on understanding the definition of a watershed, identifying watersheds in San Diego, tracking the movement of water through San Diego watersheds and understanding pollution concerns and pollution prevention measures related to San Diego watersheds. 2006 - The 4th grade unit debuts, educating students on a kelp ecosystem and the San Diego Bay. The curriculum allows students to understand that pollution may cross ecosystem borders and address pollution concerns and prevention measures related to water in San Diego. The 6th grade kit began circulating to students. In addition, we started working with the City of Oceanside and the Oceanside Unified School District (OUSD) to develop the 5th grade curriculum. 2007 - The 2nd grade curriculum debuts in SDUSD, educating students about water and earth materials in the San Diego region and actions they can take to reduce water pollution with a press launch in May. OUSD implemented the Project SWELL curriculum in 5th grade classrooms, and we started discussing development of 6th grade lessons. 2008 - The 2nd grade kit rolled out in SDUSD, and we developed a formal student evaluation form to help with program assessment information. We started editing and reprinting the existing grade levels lessons to meet the newly adopted science curriculum requirements and accommodate the need for more kits per grade level in SDUSD and OUSD. 2009 - We developed and piloted Kindergarten lessons in SDUSD, and we created formal student evaluation forms for all SWELL grade levels. In addition, we started developing 6th grade lessons for OUSD. 2010 - We are in the process of fully implementing Kindergarten in SDUSD classrooms, rewriting 6th grade lessons in SDUSD to meet new curriculum adoption standards and creating 6th grade lessons in OUSD. We will pilot the lessons in June and fully launch in the fall. Additionally, we are in the process of developing 1st grade lessons in SDUSD, and working to continue expanding Project SWELL in other school districts in county-wide. We look forward to the continued success of reaching every child in San Diego County through the Project SWELL curriculum.
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2001 - San Diego Mayor Murphy forms Clean Water Task Force