Education

Scholarships

 

Each year, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, in collaboration with our permittees, offers scholarships for 2 different age groups.

CANCELED:2023 Summer Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarship Essay/Art Contest

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarship Essay/Art Contest has been canceled this year (2023). We hope to continue the scholarship in 2024.   

CANCELED: Application Deadline: March 22, 2023

The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District will offer several scholarships to attend the 2023 Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center’s Aquatic Science Adventure Camp at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Scholarships are open to children ages 9 through 16 who reside in one of the eight school districts which overlap the Aquifer District boundary (ELIGIBLE ISD’s: Austin, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Eanes, Hays, Lockhart, San Marcos, & Wimberley). Interested students must submit an application and a one-page essay entitled “Why I want to attend the Aquatic Science Adventure Camp!” Also include a one-page artwork that captures “Science and Outdoor Adventure.” As an example, artwork could include a drawing of river rafting, scuba diving, exploring a cave, fishing, or anything related to science and outdoor adventure. Artwork should be done on a separate page from the essay.

2023 Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Application and Rules

Please staple your essay/artwork to this application and mail/deliver documents to: Camp Scholarship Contest, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, 1124 Regal Row, Austin, TX 78748. You can also email your essay/artwork and application to edu@bseacd.org with the subject line “Camp Scholarship Contest”. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Scholarship winners will be chosen by a Board Committee. Only completed applications with essays/artwork will be eligible for the scholarship contest.

For more information on the camp, its activities, and registration, please visit  https://www.eardc.txstate.edu/camp/session.html. 

ELIGIBILITY
a) The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District’s Camp Scholarship program will provide:
• $1000 scholarships to the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center’s Week-Long Overnight Expedition Camp
• $500 scholarships to the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center’s 5-Day Aquatic Investigators and Explorer Camps
• $60 scholarships to the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center’s Discovery Day Camps.
• For more information on the camp and its activities, please visit: https://www.eardc.txstate.edu/camp/session.html

b) Scholarship contest is open to children ages 9 through 16. Students must reside in one of the eight school districts within the District boundaries. These school districts are: Austin, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Eanes, Hays Consolidated, Lockhart, San Marcos Consolidated, and Wimberley.

c) Students must attend a public, private, or other accredited school located within the boundaries of those school districts. Home-schooled students living within these boundaries are also eligible.

d) Students who have previously been awarded a BSEACD Camp or Groundwater Essay Contest Scholarship are not eligible.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
A completed application form that contains contestant’s name and contact information should accompany each essay/artwork entry. Essays/artwork must be completed by the applicant and address why the student would like to attend the camp and what they hope to learn/do while there. Artwork should capture “science and adventure.” Essays cannot be longer than one page. Artwork should be included on a separate page.

Applications and essays/artwork must be received in the office by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The Board of Directors reserves the right to refuse distribution of funds if minimum guidelines are not satisfied.

JUDGING CRITERIA
Scholarship winners will be chosen on the basis of level of effort and creativity; only completed applications with essays/artwork will be eligible. Parents will be notified in April 2023 if their child’s name is chosen. District staff will arrange for the appropriate paperwork to be completed, and parents will be expected to provide registration materials in a timely fashion. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the scholarship.

CANCELED: 2023 Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship Essay Contest

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Kent S. Butler Scholarship Essay Contest has been canceled for this year (2023). We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment and hope to continue the scholarship in 2024.     

CANCELED: Application Deadline: April 14, 2023

Each year essays are scored by an independent judging panel, and the highest-scoring authors are selected to receive a $2,500 scholarship to the college, community college, or training institution of their choice.

Essays must generally discuss groundwater issues, which may include but are not limited to:

  • non-point source pollution
  • pollution prevention
  • water conservation
  • hydrogeology

While essays must focus on groundwater issues, applicants do not have to be planning a career path in a water-related field.

The essay contest is open to high school juniors, seniors, and immediate graduates. Students must reside in one of the eight school districts overlapping the District boundary. These eight independent school districts are: Austin, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Eanes, Hays Consolidated, Lockhart, San Marcos Consolidated, and Wimberley.

2023 Groundwater Essay Contest Application Form (pdf) and Rules

Kent Butler
Kent Butler

As it mentions in the rules above, Please email your statement of purpose, high school transcript, essay submission, and this application to edu@bseacd.org with the subject line ‘Scholarship Contest’. Applications must be emailed by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023.

The District’s college scholarship is dedicated as a memorial scholarship honoring one of Austin’s most influential environmental planners, Kent Butler. Dr. Butler specialized in bringing science and policy together. He encouraged open conversation, collaboration, and participation from all perspectives. The Kent S. Butler Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship Essay Contest increases the awareness of groundwater issues by rewarding high school students for high quality research and writing. The $2,500 scholarship can be applied toward tuition for any college, community college, or training institution. A panel of independent judges reviews all essays and score them based on content, accuracy of information, originality, grammar, quality of research, and style. The judges represent a cross-section of skills and expertise.

Congratulations to our 2022 Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship Winners

$2,500 Scholarship
Aseel Rawashdeh – Anderson High School (Austin ISD) – Graduates June 2022
Essay: A Discussion on the Global Groundwater Crisis: Potential Approaches to Groundwater Sustainability

$1,500 Scholarship
Samantha Cooke – Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders (Austin ISD) – Graduates May 2022
Essay: Packin’ Parched

$1,000 Scholarship
Weston Kirk – Dripping Springs High School (Dripping Springs ISD) – Graduates May 2022
Essay: Examining the Impact of Land Development and Urban Sprawl on the Edwards Aquifer, and Exploring Prospective Solutions

Congratulations to our 2022 Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarship Winners

  • Ryder Armstrong – Full Scholarship – Age 13 – Lively Middle School
  • Johnpaul Garza – Full Scholarship – Age 10 – Bowie Elementary
  • Olivia Schweke – Full Scholarship – Age 9 – Carpenter Hill Elementary
  • Elizabeth Crunk – Full Scholarship – Age 13 – Gorzycki Middle School
  • William Khazen – Partial Scholarship – Age 12 – AHB Community School
  • Pepper Carlton – Partial Scholarship – Age 9 – Cunningham Elementary
  • Ben Brewer – Partial Scholarship – Age 11 – Negley Elementary
  • Caitlin Lowary – Partial Scholarship – Age 11 – Mills Elementary
  • Jack Brewer – Partial Scholarship – Age 12 – Barton Middle School
  • Noah Brewer – Partial Scholarship – Age 9 – Negley Elementary

You can check out the full essay/art submissions here: Aquatic Camp Art/Essay Submissions

Congratulations to our 2021 Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to the 2021 Kent S. Butler Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship Winners. The three top winners wrote thorough, insightful, and very interesting essays.

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarships  

2021 Kent S. Butler Scholarship Winners VIDEO

Congratulations to our 2020 Scholarship Winners!

The District would like to thank the City of Austin, Creedmoor-Maha WSC, Goforth SUD, and Cook-Walden: Forest Oaks for supporting this year’s scholarship program. It would not be such a success without these generous donations!  Thank you!!!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarships:

Meadows Center Annual Pass Winners
(Alternative Prize to Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships):

  • Devon Welsh, Wallace Middle School
  • Elizabeth Crunk, Mills Elementary
  • Evan Estrada, Navarro Elementary
  • William Khazen, AHB Community School
  • Chloe Welsh, Wallace Middle School
  • Jaden Kimball, Lockhart Jr. High
  • Brielle Dziadik-Willingham, Lockhart Jr. High

Congratulations to our 2019 Scholarship Winners!

The District would like to thank the City of Austin, Texas Lehigh Cement Company, Centex, Creedmoor-Maha WSC, Goforth SUD, and Slaughter Creek Acres WSC for supporting the scholarship program. It would not be such a success without these generous donations!  Thank you!!!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarships:

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships:

  • Chris Allred, Kyle Elementary
  • Ivy Baker, O’Henry Middle School
  • Mikayla Ann Berg, Buda Elementary
  • Elena Castro, Fuentes Elementary
  • Indie Cleveland, Tobias Elementary
  • Leora Mae Creel, Homeschool
  • Pablo Del Reigo, Mathews Elementary
  • Juliet Fahnert, Austin Discovery School
  • Davia-Astrid Henschel, O’Henry Middle School
  • Keegan Holland, Barton Hills Elementary
  • Jamie Jarratt, O’Henry Middle School
  • Ayden Jenray, Carpenter Hill Elementary
  • Penelope Johnson, Austin Discovery School
  • Nadia Martinez, Carpenter Hill Elementary
  • Viviana Martinez, Carpenter Hill Elementary
  • Lily McGlothlin, Mendez Elementary
  • Piper Norfolk, Austin Discovery School
  • Sydney Piper, Lamar Middle School
  • Emma Sanchez, San Marcos Academy
  • Joseph Williams, Stephen F. Austin

Congratulations to our 2018 Scholarship Winners!

The District would like to thank Creedmoor-Maha WSC, Dennis Dorsett Ditching, Goforth SUD, and Texas Lehigh Cement Company for supporting the scholarship program. It would not be such a success without these generous donations!  Thank you!!!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship:

  • Elizabeth Beggs, Dripping Springs High School

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships:

  • Lily Butler, Carpenter Hill Elementary
  • Lucas Goodman, Mjolnir Academy
  • Forest Goodman, Mjolnir Academy
  • Owen Mielke, Rawson Saunders School
  • Julia Rennels, Danforth Jr High
  • Riley Fall, Dahlstrom Middle School
  • Quinn Sprute-Saunders, Jacob’s Well Elementary
  • Caleb Lowary, Mills Elementary
  • Taylor Holzman, Dahlstrom Middle School
  • Slade Holzman, Carpenter Hill Elementary
  • Charlotte Hill, Gorzycki Middle School
  • Genevieve Hill, Gorzycki Middle School
  • Natalee Scholl, Sycamore Springs Middle School
  • Stella Seligson, O. Henry Middle School
  • Sophia Thurman, Buda Elementary
  • Serenity Rincon, Dahlstrom Middle School
  • Piper Camarillo, Barton Hills Elementary
  • Elianna Agobe, San Marcos Adventist Academy

Congratulations to our 2017 Scholarship Winners!

The District would like to thank Centex Materials, Creedmoor-Maha WSC, Texas Lehigh Cement Company, Goforth SUD, and Oak Forest for donating all or a portion of their 2016 Conservation Credits to the scholarship fund. The scholarship program would not be a success without these generous donations!  Thank you!!!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship:

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships:

  • Kaitlyn Wendt, Negley Elementary
  • Megan LaRochelle, Rooster Springs Elementary
  • Kennon Alvarado, UT Elementary
  • Casey Alvarado, UT Elementary
  • Lakota Patterson, Austin Classical Academy
  • Jasmine Morgan, Dahlstrom Middle School
  • Matthew Pasemann, Pace Academy
  • Sofia Diorio, Clayton Elementary
  • Hunter Halenza, Barton Middle School
  • Kyler Halenza, Pfluger Elementary School
  • Mia Abigail Smith, Austin Discovery School
  • Stephen Gatej, Mills Elementary
  • Jake Seale, Small Middle School

Congratulations to our 2016 Scholarship Winners!

The District would like to thank Centex Materials, Creedmoor Water Supply and Texas Lehigh Cement Company for donating a portion of their 2015 Conservation Credits to the 2016 scholarship fund. The scholarship program would not be a success without these generous donations!  Thank you!!!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship:

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships:

  • Jacob Meredith, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Liam Prude, Eden Park Academy
  • Eliot Reynolds, Clint Small Elementary
  • Ethen Jensen, Paredes Middle School
  • Audrey Majors, Jacob’s Well Elementary
  • Ella Pettiette, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Emma Pettiette, Barton Middle School

Congratulations to our 2015 Scholarship Winners!

The District would like to thank Centex Materials, Creedmoor Water Supply, Texas Lehigh Cement Company, City of Hays – Elliott Ranch, and Goforth Special Utility District for donating a portion of their 2014 Conservation Credits to the 2015 scholarship fund. The scholarship program would not be a success without these generous donations!  Thank you!!!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship:

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships:

  • Kelly Monashan, UT Elementary
  • Bernardo Uriarte Pedraza, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Krystal Cortez, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Caitlin Koenig, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Kyler Monashan, Discovery School
  • Isis Rivera, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Miriam Larson, Ralph Pfluger Elememntary
  • Jacob Crosby, Negley Elementary
  • Nolan Arellano, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Leonardo “Leo” Sanchez, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Olivia Capochiaro, Lamar Middle School
  • Nikki Davern, Science Hall Elementary
  • Ramsey Calvino, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Saraya Manning, Ralph Pfluger Elementary
  • Samantha Ruthven, Mills Elementary
  • Trinity Ann Alford McCray, Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary
  • Tyler Hensley, Gorzycki Middle School
  • Victor Valdez, Ralph Pfluger Elementary

Congratulations to the 2014 Scholarship Winners!

Kent S. Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship:

  • Jenna Trejo, Bowie High School
    • Winning essay titled “Kubla Khan: Protecting Our Groundwater One Drop At A Time”

Aquatic Science Adventure Camp Scholarships:

  • Somaya Jimenez-Haham, Austin Discovery School
  • Skylar Koenig, Pfluger Elementary
  • Katelyn Alren, Pfluger Elementary
  • Savannah Kelsey, Pfluger Elementary
  • Griffin Rans, Mills Elementary
  • Kaitlyn Manire, Gorzycki Middle School
  • Megan Morris, Pfluger Elementary
  • Sarai Diaz, Pfluger Elementary
  • McKenzi Pritchard, Pfluger Elementary