Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School

August 6th, 2012 by Connie Kelley

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School (Stevens) models the “green” initiatives our district has implemented since 2007, and was recently awarded U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School status in recognition of our efforts. In addition to our in-class environmental education efforts, the school itself serves as a real-world model of healthy and environmentally responsible behavior in practice. Here are some of the key environmental areas our school excels in, and examples of how we achieve our “green” accomplishments:

Our school meets ASHRAE standards for indoor air quality and ventilation.

Air and Water:

  • A 2002 ESCO Project with Chevron Energy Solutions included guaranteed water savings via retrofits of low flow equipment.
  • The school’s water source, treated by a borough treatment plant, continually produces high quality water that exceeds EPA standards and is compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  • All schools in the district are tested for radon.
  • Asthma workshops are offered through “Open Airways”, an American Lung Association program.

Paper Recycling in the Chambersburg Area School District

Waste and Chemicals:

  • Stevens partners with IESI, a local waste management company, for Single-Stream Recycling. In 2008, the district earned the Professional Recyclers of PA award.
  • The Custodial Department uses Green Seal Certified, ISSA, and Costar paper, janitorial, carpet cleaning, and floor scrubbing products.
  • An integrated pest management plan and a chemical management program that selects the EPA’s Design for the Environment approved products, is in place district-wide.

Student Health:

Reaping the nutritional benefits of a healthy school garden.

  • Our Food Service Department started the ChooseMyPlate.gov program this school year. This USDA program provides nutrition and exercise education, encouraging building healthy plates of food and practicing physical fitness.
  • Besides physical education classes and daily recess outdoors, Stevens conducts a Field Day in May. Stations encourage fitness, team building, endurance, leadership, and competition.
  • Wellness Days with Summit Health for 3rd graders includes educational stations about exercise, anger management, tobacco, nutrition, drugs/alcohol, self-esteem, and fire/ police safety topics.

Schoolyard Habitats:

Student planting in a school garden.

  • Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School “green” space provides ecological and social benefits. The property includes a community-use soccer field, playground, 40-foot x 40-foot fenced garden, and a row of Bluebird nesting boxes from a class project.
  • Last summer, Stevens partnered with Penn State Cooperative Extension, the 4-H Program, and Local Master Gardeners to implement the Harvest 4-Health program. A 40-foot x 40-foot garden was designed, planted, and managed, harvesting 225 pounds of food by more than 60 students in the Kids Learning After School Program.

Energy:

Since 2009, Stevens has earned Energy Star Labels for 3 consecutive years; with an Energy Star percentage reduction of 36.8% for October 2010 to October 2011.

  • An Energy Management Program has been implemented district-wide. Stevens has saved over $78,400 or 27.19% in 53 months of benchmarking.
  • Automated heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC) controls were added to the school. Monitoring allows for reduced use during unoccupied times; holidays and summers are planned shut down periods.
  • Stevens’ environmental impact from electric and oil savings is equal to 404 equivalent metric tons of CO2 reduction. This equates to 10,324 trees planted and grown for 10 years!
  • More than half of the 280 students walk to school from nearby multi-family housing developments. With bussing needs greatly reduced, transportation is efficient.

A culture of energy conservation, helping to protect the environment, reduce operating costs and use of natural resources, is evident at Stevens, modeling environmental stewardship for students. Via our building energy performance, activities to promote healthy living, and enriching programs in partnership with varied community groups, “being green” resonates at Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School.

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Connie Kelley is the Energy Manager of the Chambersburg Area School District.

Teaching and Learning in a Green School: Integrating Environmental Stewardship into the Curriculum

May 21st, 2012 by Jeanne Gemmell

Our latest School Spotlight, Sidwell Friends School, was recently recognized in the first round of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program. The middle school building features a reclaimed wood exterior and passive solar strategies that utilize sunshades.

As in many schools, 8th grade students at Sidwell Friends School take an Environmental Science course.  The goal of the course is for students to learn the biological, physical, and ecological concepts required to understand the significance of four environmental issues (biodiversity loss, global climate change, water stress, and human population growth).  The students also examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing these issues, both individually and collectively.  At the conclusion of the course, students write a personal code of environmental ethics based upon their understandings of the issues, and place it in a manila envelope to be reopened when they are graduating seniors.

Significantly aiding in the teaching-learning process of this course is the Sidwell Friends Middle School building.  In September 2006, our Middle School faculty and students returned to a newly renovated building with an addition that almost doubled the size of the original 50-year-old building.   The new building became the first K-12 building in the world to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rating from the U. S. Green Building Council, and the first LEED Platinum building of any type in the District of Columbia.  The building was designed and constructed to be as environmentally progressive as possible, and includes the following features:

  • An energy efficient and passive solar design that includes:  lights that are controlled by occupancy sensors; photocells that automatically adjust the level of artificial lighting according to the amount of daylight available; a roof that exceeds the thermal property requirements of standard building design by 155% and walls that exceed the same requirements by a factor of three; windows that are twice as insulating as energy standard properties; a central air system which takes advantage of an “economizer” operation to eliminate mechanical cooling by bringing in fresh air when outside air temperatures are appropriate; and solar shades that have been erected in key solar orientations
  • A green roof which reduces the “urban heat island effect” preventing the building from heating up and reducing demand for air conditioning
  • A constructed wetland which treats waste water through a natural vegetative process without having to go to a municipal sewage plant.

The Environmental Science course begins by ensuring that students gain a thorough understanding of the Middle School green features- those that conserve energy, eliminate storm water runoff, reduce water pollution, use renewable and recycled materials, and provide both a healthy environment inside the building, and a wildlife-friendly natural habitat outside.  The remainder of the course is designed to provide clarity regarding the School’s decision to finance and construct the Middle School as a “living habitat” in which students could personally experience the interdependent systems necessary to operate a built space in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way.

Our Middle School facility provides an inspiring forum for our students to explore and debate the complex scientific, economic, ecological, and political realities that must be balanced in order for a society to meet its full range of needs for the present without undermining the ability of future generations to do the same.  This broad conception of sustainability, with its implicit compassion and concern for the well-being of all living things, resonates deeply with core Quaker values of simplicity of living, service to others, and environmental stewardship.  We believe the introduction of our LEED Platinum Middle School, and the subsequent attention to wise environmental practices in the operations and facilities throughout the school, have laid the foundation for a school-wide commitment to the principles of sustainability and global interdependence.

The Middle School building and the school’s underlying values have inspired a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities.  Presented below are some examples of innovative activities that Sidwell teachers have used to engage students in environmental education, while also preparing them to be “green carriers” of the future.  Working with the manager of the school web site, students wrote and recorded an on-line tour of the school’s platinum-rated building, with the hope that this would make it easier for others to learn about green architecture, and perhaps inspire some to construct their own green building.  To date, over 26,000 people have visited the site.  Students also designed the art work and accompanying text for a host of beautiful signs, placed in designated areas of the building, which interpret its many green features for visitors.  Roughly a third of the 8th grade students are trained every year as building tour guides.  These students are then able to competently explain the School’s green elements, from the rooftop gardens, solar chimneys, and photovoltaic systems, to the constructed wetlands and bio-pond; and, of course, to the labs, classrooms and art facilities in between.  Over 10,000 students, architects, and environmentally-concerned citizens have taken the guided tours of our school facility.

Sidwell Friends had three mutually supported objectives in designing the Middle School building: to create an aesthetically beautiful structure; to construct an environmentally high-performing building; and to provide a wonderful space for exceptional teaching and learning.  We feel our Middle School has successfully achieved all three of these goals.

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Greening Green Valley ES: Using a Rain Garden to Manage Runoff

February 7th, 2011 by Aimee

Students pose in the newly planted rain garden.

This is the site where the Green Valley Rain Garden was installed before construction began.

Heavy equipment was used to build the Green Valley Rain Garden, but many are built on a smaller scale!

Students helped construct the rain garden by planting plants.

The completed rain garden will help manage runoff from the school's paved surfaces.

Students and teachers unveil a new educational sign.

For years, Green Valley Elementary School teachers in Frederick County, Md. were forced to park in a muddy puddle after every storm. Stormwater would rush down from an upslope dirt ball field and combine with water washing off buildings and blacktop to collect in the lowest corner of the lot. This puddle was not only a nuisance, but it highlighted the need to better manage stormwater runoff and erosion at the school.

Stormwater runoff is one of the greatest causes of stream and water quality degradation in our region. After every storm event, rain water washes off impervious surfaces such as parking lots, sidewalks and lawns and rushes into our local rivers and streams. This pollutant-laden runoff contains pesticides, fertilizers, toxic chemicals, sediments and more, wreaking havoc on water quality and wildlife habitat. Thankfully, through simple measures taken by regular citizens, it is possible to slow and absorb polluted water before it reaches our streams. Converting lawn areas to natural cover, planting trees, collecting water in rain barrels or installing rain gardens are just a few of the many steps schools can take to help improve water quality.

Green Valley Rain Garden Project

Green Valley Elementary School wanted to find an environmentally healthy way to correct their stormwater problem. They teamed up with the Potomac Conservancy, who secured a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to carry out a plan that would prevent the muddy puddle from forming in the parking lot while creating an important educational opportunity for their students. The plan included three elements:

  • The eroding ball field, which once funneled stormwater straight down to the parking lot, was re-graded to redirect runoff into the surrounding woodlands where it could be absorbed naturally;
  • Eroding slopes were terraced and a grassy ‘swale’ was installed to direct excess stormwater away from the parking area; and
  • Stormwater was ultimately funneled into a 1,100 square foot rain garden that was constructed in front of the school.

Rain gardens are specially designed gardens that capture stormwater and use it to nourish a beautiful community of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. They also make great hands-on learning opportunities for students. Green Valley’s ‘Earthology’ Club, a group of more than 30 ambitious 4th and 5th graders, proudly adopted the garden and have planted more than 150 native plants. They will continue to get their hands dirty as they weed, water and mulch the garden to ensure that the young plants thrive.

Perhaps more importantly, the club is now spreading its new environmental expertise by educating other students at Green Valley on the value of rain gardens. The students will be providing an all-school presentation and they recently installed a colorful interpretive sign in front of the garden. Because the garden is located directly in front of the school entrance, all visitors to the school will see it and the signage, impacting thousands of current and future students, teachers, parents and other visitors.

Creating Your Own Rain Garden

Due to the complex stormwater problems at the school, the Green Valley project was more ambitious than many schoolyard rain garden projects need to be. Heavy equipment was used to re-grade the slopes and excavate the garden. Thankfully, most rain garden projects are much smaller and can be done more simply using basic tools like shovels, garden tillers and volunteers! You will want to ensure that your garden is placed where it can adequately capture runoff (e.g. not on top of a hill or in the wettest part of your yard) and is of sufficient size to absorb the volume of stormwater going into it. There are lots of good resources that will take you through the planning, construction and planting steps to help you create a functional and beautiful garden for your school.  Try the following two resources to start:

But most importantly, have fun!

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Aimee Weldon is the Senior Director of Restoration and Lands for the Potomac Conservancy in Silver Spring, Md.

School Spotlight: Landscape for Learning – Buffalo School 90 Courtyard Transformed

November 29th, 2010 by Barbara

The Buffalo Public School 90's new courtyard and outdoor classroom area. Photo courtesy of KC Kratt Photography

Buffalo Public School 90 is a shining example of how the outdoors can be used to make a lasting impression in children’s lives. The school’s courtyard used to be an underwhelming space with straggly trees and a flagpole. Numerous windows looked out on it, but providing daylight was their only function. Now, it’s an entirely different story.

The seeds were planted, so to speak, by teacher Barbara Shaughnessy and Buffalo Advocates for Schoolyard Enhancement (BASE). The initial thought was to use the courtyard space for something like a butterfly garden, but evolved into an outdoor learning environment. As part of a $6 million reconstruction project, the schoolyard would have interconnected learning areas to complement and supplement all the areas of the school’s curriculum. When the project budget tightened, the team worked hard to keep the fundamental design, requiring “a lot of creativity and thinking outside the box.

Photo courtesy of KC Kratt Photography

Because School 90 is located in an inner-city environment, it was important to the faculty that the students be able to experience a true variety of landscapes and outdoor activities they might not otherwise be regularly exposed to. The courtyard provides a clean and safe environment where “children can explore, roll around and run without the fear of injury.”

With ever increasing curriculum mandates, children are losing valuable time in the natural world. The objective for this courtyard was to meet established curriculum requirements for students in pre-K through second grade in an outdoor environment, while encouraging them to love nature.

Water, varying topography, naturalized and constructed gardens, open areas, and gathering spaces are dispersed throughout the courtyard. These different elements of nature work among various curriculum areas, including science, math, music, art, language arts, physical education and geography/geology. Every outdoor space is connected by the accessible “circuit walk” that weaves between class spaces and provides accessible opportunities for learning.

Each of the “classroom” spaces has elements unique to its function that help students develop a connection to the outside world. Read on below for more information about each of these spaces.

Photo courtesy of KC Kratt Photography

Physical Education

  • The entire courtyard has elements for play, mobility, dexterity, and eye-hand coordination
  • The overall circuit path can be fit with markers to allow students to track the distance they have walked during gym class
  • The logs provide natural balance beams
  • Mounds are wonderful for running up and rolling down
  • Boulders are placed close enough for students to step from one to the other
  • The concrete areas are great for jumping rope and riding tricycles

Music Classroom

  • Plants here make sound in the wind, attract “singing” insects and birds, and can be used to make instruments
  • A small concrete area allows students to set up chairs and music stands to play outside

Math Classroom

  • Paving of various materials and sizes shows ratios and proportions
  • Raised planters provide area for growing vegetables, leading to counting seeds and measuring growth of plants

Science Classroom

  • Large earth mounds aid in teaching about gravity, velocity, and measurements
  • Shade garden features native ferns, sedges, and rushes
  • The water channel widens and students are encouraged to get into the water

Geography/Geology Classroom

Photo courtesy of KC Kratt Photography

  • Boulders as part of the “council ring” are provided for small group gatherings, climbing, and jumping
  • Tree stumps provide for exploration
  • Local plants with various survival elements and ethno-botanical uses
  • Sunflowers are planted by kindergarteners and then harvested when students are in first grade

Art Classroom

  • Brightly colored perennials inspire young artists
  • All plants in courtyard are non-toxic so leaves, petals and berries can be used to make paint and ink
  • Small concrete area has interesting score patterns
  • Nearby “Dr. Seuss garden” has oversized, interesting smelling or unusual looking plants

Language Arts

  • Opportunities are included for increased language awareness
  • Boulder “council ring”, central gathering space, and log seating provide locations for story telling and group discussions
  • Chalk board allows students to “post their findings” for fellow classmates to read and provide responses
  • Central gathering space becomes a “stage” for drama activities with seating on the surrounding lawn
  • Each new fall class is encouraged to make and post signs for the courtyard, allowing every student to be active in the “naming” process

Our work resulted in a beautiful natural teaching environment which

provides connections to the New York State standards, and fosters the development of the next generation of environmental stewards.

Students can grow their own fruits and vegetables in raised planter beds to understand where their food comes from, learn how local native plants were used by Native Americans. According to one teacher, they can even “simply be inspired by a bright yellow daylily.”

The courtyard has been designated a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and is currently an Eco-Schools-USA Grant recipient.

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Barbara Shaughnessy is a kindergarten special education teacher and the Science Liaison for First Hand Learning at Buffalo N.Y. Public School 90.

Starting a School Garden Without All the “Stuff”

October 11th, 2010 by Roberta

Children help out at Granny's Garden School in 2008.

In celebration of D.C. School Garden Week 2010, we bring you this post from Roberta Paolo, the executive director of “Granny’s Garden School,” a community garden in Loveland, Ohio, for all of the area’s nearly 1,800 kindergarten through fourth grade students. Roberta’s experiences in Ohio can certainly be applied in the D.C. area, the rest of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and throughout the entire United States!

***

School gardens are all the rage right now.  Judging by what is going on in the Greater Cincinnati Area, where I am located, there have to be thousands of new programs being launched across the country this year.

The combination of the impact from the book “Last Child in the Woods” and the resulting groundswell of concern that led to the grassroots development of the organization “Leave No Child Inside” has been compounded by the rising problem with childhood obesity. The concern about global warming has also been topped off by the establishment of a garden on the grounds of the White House, all of which has resulted in an explosion of interest in developing school garden programs.

This is both good and bad. At this time, and in the next couple of years, a lot of money will be invested in school garden programs. Most of this money will be spent to buy “stuff.” It will be used to build raised beds, buy rain barrels, install green houses and/or hoop houses, install rain gardens, grow labs, curriculum and lesson plans and buy all kinds of “kits.”

Every day, there are more companies offering tools, garden boxes, over-priced kits and other supplies targeted to educators with school garden grant money to spend. Could you use a $70 folding fabric wheel barrel? Or how about the $29.95 Potato Planter? Many people will find a rationale to buy these largely unnecessary products using their grant money.

Very little, if any, of the millions of dollars will be spent to pay people to run the programs. When the person with the passion whose enthusiasm powered the garden initiative can no longer volunteer or moves on for whatever reason, the program will be phased out. The grounds people, who are left with the mess to clean up, will be there to say, “I told you so.”  This will make it that much more difficult to get administrators to take a chance the next time a person with a passion comes along with an idea to enrich the school experience for our children.

Starting a school garden program is the easy part and it does not have to take a lot of money. We ran our program the first year on less than $200. You do not need much “stuff” and you can get almost everything you need donated.

Starting a garden program can be as simple as digging a hole and planting a seed.  The real challenge is in sustaining it. If you are up to the challenge, it could be the most rewarding thing you ever do.

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Roberta Paolo is the Executive Director of Granny's Garden School in Loveland, Ohio, serving nearly 1,800 K-4th grade students in the community.

Get Nuts for Clean Water

September 20th, 2010 by Lindsay

photo credit: .Larry Page, Flickr, Creative Commons

Field studies are a great way to get your students involved in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but they don’t always have to take place off of school grounds. There are plenty of things you and your students can do right on your campus to help learn about the environment and perform restoration activities. If you are part of the Potomac River watershed, you should consider the Potomac Watershed Partnership and Potomac Conservancy’s Growing Native program.

The Growing Native program is designed to have volunteers of all ages collect native tree seeds across the region. Once these seeds are collected and dropped off at a designated collection site, they are donated to state nurseries in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, where they are planted and used to restore streamside forests throughout the Potomac River’s watershed.

Since the program began in 2001, more than 50,250 volunteers have collected more than 150,600 seeds for Growing Native. Your classroom or school can be a part of this great effort in the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay watershed!

The Growing Native website has a full section devoted to educational resources so that you can teach your students how healthy forests can lead to healthy water in the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. While the weather is still nice and crisp and as nuts and acorns begin to fall on your schoolyard, get your students outside to “get nuts for clean water” by collecting and identifying the tree and shrub seeds that can help the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay!

Visit the website today to learn more about how you can begin collecting, register your group and find the donation site closest to you!

Additional Resources:
Growing Native.org
Forest teaching resources – Bay Backpack
Forest field studies – Bay Backpack

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Lindsay Eney is the Communications Staffer at the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Sowing the Seeds for an Outdoor Classroom

September 13th, 2010 by Kris
Students outline the location of their wildlife habitat using string.

Student measure the size of their wildlife garden. Photo credit: Farmwell Station

Farmwell students digging holes for the plants that make up the butterfly garden. Photo credit: Farmwell Station

The seeds for what would become Farmwell Station Middle School’s outdoor classroom were figuratively planted when life science teacher, Cynthia Walsh attended a box turtle monitoring training, sponsored by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

As a Master Naturist and the adviser to the Naturalist Club at her school, Ms. Walsh felt a schoolyard habitat project would provide her club members with a meaningful community experience and serve the entire student body with a space to use as an outdoor classroom.  And don’t forget the benefits of the outdoor classroom to wildlife as well.

Her overall goal was for students to learn that everyone can do something to help conserve wildlife, even in urban Loudoun County, Virginia.  With assistance from the school’s shop class and the Virginia Bluebird Society, the 25 member Naturalist Club installed a bluebird trail on school grounds, as well as phase one of their landscaping project adjacent to the 7th grade wing.

Plans are underway to complete a monarch butterfly count and collect additional field data that complements the scientific investigation strand of the standards of learning.  Phase two of the project is expected to include an ever increasing number of students, the development of a rain garden to filter runoff from the school roof and parking lot, and additional plantings and other elements for the outdoor classroom.

Additional Resources
Schoolyard Habitat Guide – Fish and Wildlife Service
Schoolyard Habitat Lesson – Bay Backpack

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Kris Jarvis works at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Environmental Education.

D.C. School Becomes River Smart

May 25th, 2010 by Gilda
Students provide habitat by planting native species.

Students provide habitat by planting native species.

The Center City Public Charter School, Trinidad Campus held a ground-breaking ceremony and work day on May 18th. About 40 eighth grade students improved compacted soil with compost, planted trees, shrubs and numerous perennial plants.

These plants, many of them native, were used to create a sensory garden.  It was the first in a series of gardens and landscaping practices that will improve water quality, create habitat for wildlife and manage stormwater runoff; all goals of the RiverSmart Schools Program.

Students replace grass with rain gardens that help clean the bay.

Students replace grass with rain gardens that help clean the bay.

Eleven raised beds were also built and filled with soil to make an edible garden that will encourage healthy eating. This learning lab will provide outdoor seating where students will learn how their gardening efforts make a difference for the Anacostia watershed and the Chesapeake Bay. Additional gardens include a bird and butterfly garden, an upland forest and a rain garden.

This $120,000 project is a private-public partnership that includes the District Department of the Environment, FedEx, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and Center City Public Charter School.

For additional information about RiverSmart Schools see Green DC or call Gilda Allen at 202-535-2239.

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Gilda Allen is an Environmental Program Specialist at the District Department of the Environment.

Help the Chesapeake this Earth Day

April 19th, 2010 by Karey
This rain garden collects water that drains off the roof of the building allowing the water to slowly sink back into the ground.

This rain garden collects water that drains off the roof of the building allowing the water to slowly sink back into the ground.

The 33rd annual Earth Day celebration will be held nationwide Thursday April 22, 2010! What can you and your classroom do to help the Chesapeake Bay?  You probably won’t have to look far on your school grounds to create a project.  Here are some ideas!

Collecting rainwater with rain barrels is a great way to help the environment and it also provides a source of free water. Source: Flickr, Joebart

Collecting rainwater with rain barrels is a great way to help the environment and it also provides a source of free water. Source: Flickr, Joebart

Plant Rain Gardens, Trees, or Wildlife Habitats
Plants serve as great buffers to prevent runoff, provide clean air, and can serve as homes for local wildlife which can be studied by students at a later date. Students can continue to care for these areas, creating a long-term learning experience for all ages.

A rain garden is full of native plants in a dug-out low-lying area, and collects runoff from roofs, sidewalks, and other hard surfaces. In the garden, this water can be absorbed instead of going straight into storm drains that lead to the Bay. Not only will this decrease polluted runoff, (the only source of pollution to the Bay that is growing) but it will increase available groundwater.

Planting native trees will prevent runoff and erosion, as well as provide a habitat for local birds and other wildlife. Native plants are well suited to the local environment, and will require less care than non-native species.

Both the rain garden and the native trees will provide habitats for local wildlife, but you could also have your local habitat become a certified National Wildlife Federation wildlife habitat. You will have to provide food, water, cover, and places to raise young. This will serve multiple purposes, including providing a perfect laboratory for students to observe local wildlife.

Install Rain Barrels

Rain barrels attach to buildings’ downspouts and collect rainwater from the roofs. This will serve two purposes on your school grounds – it will help prevent runoff from leaving grounds carrying nutrients, sediments, and chemicals to the Bay, plus it will provide “free” water
to use when taking care of the gardens, trees, and wildlife habitats you
just planted!

Work with your maintanence staff to create a "No-Mow Zone" in your schoolyard. Source: Flickr, Orchid8

Work with your maintanence staff to create a "No-Mow Zone" in your schoolyard. Source: Flickr, Orchid8

Create a No-Mow Zone
Is there a stream, creek, or drainage ditch that runs through/near school property? In addition to planting trees as discussed above, you could have your school designate the areas around the water as a “Now-Mow Zone”. No-mow zones are areas that are allowed to naturally grow and that are not cut the way traditional lawns are maintained. This will allow grasses and shrubs to grow, and provide a habitat for local wildlife as well as preventing runoff, and decreasing the cost of gasoline for mowing this area. Over time, shrubs and trees will fill in this area.

Remember, if you are hosting a school-wide event, the best way to make an impact would be to lead by example. Recycling, composting uneaten lunches, and water conservation while planting are great ways to start! Encourage students to bring reusable bottles to carry their water in, instead of using a fresh plastic bottle each time.

Additional Resources:
Schoolyard Activities/Lessons – Bay Backpack
Earth Day Events – Chesapeake Bay Program
Educators Take Action – Earth Day Network

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Karey Harris is an Environmental Management Staffer with the Chesapeake Research Consortium.

Go Wild During National Wildlife Week

March 15th, 2010 by Krissy
Studying wildlife allows students to get a hands-on experience with nature.

Studying wildlife allows students to get a hands-on experience with nature.

According to  a new study kids, ages 8-18,  spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes each day in front of electronic media.  Let’s help reverse this trend by participating in National Wildlife Week.  March 15-21 is a week to celebrate the great diversity of wildlife that calls the Chesapeake region home.   The Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, including blue crabs, oysters, striped bass, waterfowl and bald eagles.  You can celebrate National Wildlife Week by doing what comes naturally and taking your students outdoors to have fun.

Go on a Wildlife Scavenger Hunt

Students armed with notebooks and pencils disperse throughout your school grounds hunting and seeking out all living things.  Keeping their eyes open for wildlife, students record an observation for each critter they discover.   This activity can be modified to suit all grade and skill levels.  You can even integrate photography and videography for more advanced students.

Through a wildlife scavenger hunt students can record observations like,

  • Animal kingdom (mammals vs birds)
  • Habitat (forest vs meadow)
  • Coloration and coat (red feathers vs black fur)
  • Means of movement (flying vs climbing)
  • Food source (carnivore vs. herbivore or predator vs prey)
  • Behavior

Back in the classroom, students can use the Chesapeake Bay Field Guide to identify the species they discover.  Your class can tally up the total number of sightings for each critter and then calculate the species richness and diversity of your schoolyard.

If your class is really excited about sharing their data you can add your students’ observations online through the National Wildlife Federation’s WildObs.  By joining this network you will be able enter your location and upload the classes findings including pictures and descriptions of critters you saw.   Your observations will be displayed on a map with observations throughout the country.

So get outside and GO WILD during National Wildlife Week!

Additional Wildlife Activities – Bay Backpack

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Krissy Hopkins is a former Chesapeake Bay Program Staffer and is currently pursuing her PhD in geology at the University of Pittsburgh.
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