Rising Waters Art Project at BCPS

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    Rising Waters Art Project at BCPS in Support of the Youth Climate Summit

    Royal Palms wrapped with burlapBroward Youth Climate Summit logoBroward County Public Schools, through its STEM+Computer Science, Applied Learning Department, partnered with Rising Waters to showcase unique art installations at 19 schools throughout the District and the District office. Rising Waters is a conceptual art project that raises awareness about the impact of climate change to local communities by highlighting future possible flood levels resulting from sea-level rise and storm conditions. The colorful installation artwork provides a visual representation of the potential future by highlighting water at ankle, knee, hip, or eye level. 

    In addition to installing the sea-level rise artwork, students also placed hand-made fish flags on campus with their action steps for helping mitigate the impact of climate change. A picture of students adding their fish flags is shown here. See other school pictures from the accordion tabs below.

    The art installations and placement of fish flags took place the week of November 1–5, 2021, which coincided with the King Tide and the United Nations climate change summit (COP26). The initiative also supports the ongoing efforts of the District’s Youth Climate Summit to engage students in the issue of sea-level rise and the effects of climate change.  

    Students installing their action fish

    Rising Waters Overview

    Rising Waters, a project of Climate Creatives, is a conceptual art project begun by Susan Israel in 2013 in Boston that marks future flood levels due to sea-level rise and storms from climate change. The colorful lines of the installations act as a totem and a key, making the invisible (potential sea-level rise) visible by measuring them with our bodies, seeing water at ankle, knee, hip or eye level, or higher, the issue of climate change gains immediacy. For more info on the Rising Waters project visit https://www.risingwaters.org/.

    The Rising Waters art project was first installed in Broward at the Museum of Discovery and Science, where the 2nd Broward Youth Climate Summit was held on January 10, 2020.

    Rising Waters art installation at MODS

    Rising Waters art installations at various BCPS campuses - see accordion tabs below (constantly updated)
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  • Attucks Middle

    Students in front of their action flagsstudents in front of their action fish Working on the fabric with the years

    Students wrapping the post with burlap students wrapping post with burlap 

  • Central Park Elementary School

    Students adding their action fish

    Central Park students with their action fish

    Central Park students cutting fish

    Central Park Elementary staff with their action fish

  • Coral Springs High School

    Installing the burlap lines

    Students painting burlap

    Students installing their action fish

    Rising Waters action fish

  • Dillard 6-12

    Action fish flags on lawn

    Post wrapped with dates and fish flags in the background

    Creating action fish flags      Action fish flags  

    Student painting dates on fabric      Fabric with dates installation in hallway

  • Driftwood Middle

    burlap wrapped around palm tree and action fish on lawn

    Students creating action fish and wrapping trees

    Students with their action fish

    Action fish on lawn

  • KC Wright Building

    Rising Waters art installation at the BCPS district office, KC Wright Building.

    Royal palms wrapped in burlap lines

    STEM+CS staff wrapping the tree with burlap Wrapped royal palm trees next to a building

    Rising Waters bulletin board

  • Lauderdale Lakes Middle School

    Students adding their action fish

    Students adding their action fish

    Action fish on front lawn of the school

  • Miramar High School

    Miramar High School students working on their project

    Students wrapping posts with burlap Students wrapping posts with burlap 

    Students installing their action fish Miramar High school students working on project

    Painting the burlap with the year

    students painting dates on burlap

  • Northeast High School

    2021 Northeast High School Rising Water Journey

    Measuring post to install burlap lines Student painting the year on burlap

    Stenciling the years on burlap

    Finished post with years  Action fish installation

    Installing action fish

  • Wilton Manors Elementary

    Students and staff at Wilton Manors Elementary School are dedicated to bringing attention to and taking action to mitigate the impact of sea level rise (SLR). We began by sharing the resources in the SLR Rising Waters Canvas course with the teachers. The teachers derived grade-level appropriate lessons on SLR, its impacts on South Florida, and began conversations centered on what actions they would undertake to mitigate SLR. At which point every student in the school was given a fish in which they put an age-appropriate response to what they would do to counteract SLR. #RisingWaters2021 @WiltonManorsES

    Wilton Manors elementary school's fish flags

  • MODS on 2nd Broward Youth Climate Summit

    Rising Waters art installation at the Museum of Discovery and Science during the 2nd Broward Youth Climate Summit on January 10, 2020.

    MODs installation at the 2nd Broward Youth Climate Summit

    MODS installation on posts

    MODs installation of fish

    MODs installation of fish flags

    Flags installation at Esplanade Park

Contact Information

  • Applied Learning

    600 SE Third Avenue

    Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

    Phone: 754-321-1878

    Fax: --

    TTL: --

    Phone: --

    Susan M. Cantrick

    Director

Broward STEM + Computer Science Curriculum Supervisor