Swarovski Waterschool USA Mississippi River at NGRREC

NGRREC is the headquarters to Swarovski Waterschool, the first and only of its kind in North America. 

The primary goal of this program is to educate people living alongside the Mississippi River about the human connection to and reliance on healthy and functioning river ecosystems. We hope to not only educate students but also inspire them to positively impact their communities.

The Swarovski Waterschool program supports a variety of community and school-based programs. The Swarovski Waterschool education team visits classrooms to provide hands-on exploration of water, the Mississippi River watershed and the human impact. The program hosts immersive summer programs for students. Learn more about our summer programming through our film, Kids on the River.

Swarovski Waterschool also offers teacher training workshops. Teachers attending these workshops will receive training, a free educator toolkit, professional development hours and opportunities for funding support for community engagement activities.

Trees Forever

Starting in the spring of 2022, the Swarovski Waterschool USA team participated in a Trees Forever initiative to increase the diversity of tree species and expand the limited canopy cover. The aim of this program is to increase the green space in the Alton, IL community. The Swarovski team provided volunteers to help plant and care for the trees as well as provided matching grant funds. 

Swarovski Camp Waterschool participants helped water and care for the trees and had the opportunity to consider the benefits trees could bring to the community. This experience provided a direct connection to a key Swarovski Waterschool theme: water and the

Giving Program

In an ongoing commitment to our students and teachers, we have created a program for Swarovski Waterschool teachers to access classroom resources from Swarovski Waterschool USA. Teachers are able to request supplies for their students such as individual packages of markers, colored pencils, hygiene supplies such as hand sanitizer, soap, disinfectant wipes, and also other supplies such as notebooks. To date 38 teachers have taken advantage of these resources, reaching a total of 950 students. Students have used these supplies alongside our learning kits to allow for more art and color in their Swarovski Waterschool lessons.

World Water Day

Swarovski Waterschool USA works to promote awareness of World Water Day which is held annually on March 22. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the issues that prevent safe access to water. By celebrating World Water Day, we support the Swarovski Waterschool mission of raising awareness about access to safe drinking water which is a core principle of Swarovski Waterschool.