This spring, April, May and June 2015, NYC H2O gave 42 historic reservoir tours to 29 different schools, reaching a total of 1,200 students. Our tours took place in four boroughs at the reservoirs in Central Park, Jerome Park, Ridgewood and Baisley Pond. Silver Lake tours in Staten Island will resume this summer. We also held our first annual H2O Student Showcase at the Queens Museum where students displayed posters or dioramas created as part of a post-tour classroom project.
Our tours drew a range of students from grades 2 to 12, embracing the city’s great diversity. Most of our students are from New York City’s outer boroughs, where they attend Title I schools–which serve a majority of students living below the poverty line. Many of these are also Title III schools, that is schools with a high percentage of students who are not fully proficient in English.