Green School Initiatives
GREEN EDUCATION
The School has been active with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the past eight years due to the efforts of First Grade Teacher Anne Hodges. The school has recently worked with Treemendous Maryland, The Greater Severna Park Watershed Action Group, and the Greater Severna Park Chamber of Commerce to host an Annual Earth Day Celebration.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Teachers and staff attend a Maryland Green School presentation and learn that we’re doing a lot right.
What do teachers do on a Professional Development half-day? On January 15, more than 20 teachers, staff, and administrators attended a presentation about qualifying for a Green School award. We discovered that much of what we’re doing already, from pre-schoolers mucking around in a stream to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders designing cities for the future, attunes ourselves and our students to the needs of the environment.
Our thanks to St. Martin’s-in-the-Field parent Barbara Kelly for arranging this briefing and to Cristina Decker for her work on the Green School initiative. Melanie Parker, a resource teacher at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center and a board member of the Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education, talked us through the process of documenting an application for a Maryland Green School designation. She assured us that environmental education is fun and exciting, and given the enthusiastic response of our educators, this is true.
In awarding a Green School seal, the MAEOE considers three major categories: (1) use of the school site and curricular instruction to encourage understanding of the environment; (2) best management practices used on the campus; and (3) building partnerships with others, such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Thanks to First Grade Teacher Anne Hodges, St. Martin’s has a relationship with CBF that goes back almost 10 years.
Environmentally aware curriculum and practices have been shown to increase reading and math achievement on state assessment, build teamwork throughout a school, and—most important—make learning fun and authentic. The environment provides a context for learning across the curriculum in subjects you might expect such as science, math, and reading, but also in subjects you might not initially expect, such as art, music, physical education, and languages. Last year, for example, when 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Graders went to Quiet Waters Park and created a mural of Monet’s Bridge, that field trip blended the disciplines of art, French, and outdoor education.
We are putting best practices into use on our campus. Our entire campus already has Bay-Wise certification. We’re investigating our environment, getting water barrels, paying attention to storm drainage, and conserving energy. We’re asking students to be aware of energy usage at home. Do they turn off lights when they leave a room?
We’ve made tremendous progress on recycling. Sixth Grade Teacher Tracy Alexander initiated a recycling program years ago at our school that has really taken off. We now print double-sided. We recycle ink cartridges. We’ve planned indoor and outdoor clean-up days. We have an arrangement for pick-up of recyclables. In fact, we’ve asked parents to drop off their recyclables during arrival and dismissal.
Ideas flew back and forth during the presentation. How can we handle transportation more responsibly on our campus? Could we encourage car pooling? Could we have a no-idling lane? Or a HOV lane?
We’re looking for partners to help us take better care of our environment. What about garden clubs, agencies, small businesses, master gardeners, sanctuaries? If parents have ideas and connections, we’d be happy to hear them. One question that came up was about compost managing techniques. Anybody know of a good source of ideas and resources?
Over the coming months, grades 1 through 5 will be doing field trips with the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The first graders are planting a blueberry patch as part of their learning about indigenous species. In April, we’ll have our third annual Earth Day celebration. We’re looking for ideas and participation to bring our festival to a whole new level.
For further information and inspiration, contact Cristina Decker at cristina.decker@comcast.net. Check out http://www.maeoe.org One of the reasons we’re passionate about becoming a Green School is that we realize these are lessons that carry forward. Knowledge about and sensitivity to environmental issues is critical for the future of our society. Preparing our students for the future is a core St. Martin’s value.
THIS YEAR'S EARTH DAY WILL BE APRIL 24th
Plans for the 3rd annual Earth Day celebration on our campus have started in earnest. Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 24, from 10 – 2pm. We will need your help to make this a success. We are looking for parents and students who want to make a difference in our efforts to become better stewards of the gifts God has given us. Please consider giving sometime before Earth Day or on the 24th itself. Many hands make light work! Middle School kids will be able to accrue St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Day School service hours for their school record.
There will be environmental groups and green companies on campus to help us learn more on making our neighborhood and beyond a prettier and healthier place to live. Fun activities for the kids will be available. The Green Passport returns this year for stamping at different booths. There will be recycled crayons for the kids and a flower-making craft station where they can make decorative flowers from plastic water bottles. The magician and green magic performer Joe Romano will be conducting his spectacular show to kids of all ages in Heck Hall. His show at school earlier this year was fantastic! Good food will also be available—let’s not forget cotton candy and lemon peppermint sticks.
HISTORY OF EARTH DAY AT ST. MARTIN'S-IN-THE FIELD
The first celebration was held on April 19, 2008 and had nearly 30 participating groups including the individual classes at St. Martin's Day School, with over 400 patrons attending. In 2009, we increased those numbers to nearly 40 participants and 600 attendees. If your earth-friendly organization or business would like to participate in an upcoming Earth Day Celebration, please contact us at info@stmartinsdayschool.org to receive an application.
2009 EARTH DAY PARTICIPANTS
PHOTOS