Grade-Level: All Activity Title: Outdoor Learning Subject: Social Emotional Environmental Learning Teacher(s): Castro, Nevarez, Ege, Velazquez, Norris, Thompson, Wright, Gerald When: Every Thursday Number of Students: 74 Description: Students learn about themselves through their experiences with the environment. They apply skills learned in the classroom to their outdoor encounters. Documentation: Images
Trout in the Classroom
Grade-Level: All Activity Title: Trout in the Classroom Subject: Environmental Learning Teacher(s): Hopkins, Norris, Thompson When: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays Number of Students: 60 Description: Students test water quality, set feeding schedules, cleaned the fish tank and collected growth data. Documentation: Images
Pearlstone Outdoor Center- Soup Group
Grade-Level: All Activity Title: Weekly Soup Deliveries Subject: Weekly Soup Delivery Teacher(s): Castro, Nevarez, Ege, Velazquez, Norris, Thompson, Wright, Gerald When: Every Tuesday Number of Teachers: 20 Description: Teachers order homegrown soups from a local grower that can be stocked up at home or eaten at school weekly. Supporting the Baltimore Gift Exchange network. Documentation: Images
School Year 2020-2021 & Prior
Green Healthy Smart Challenge Grant Partnership
Sustainability Plan & Ambassador Work
Documentation of additional role of School Sustainability Ambassador and work related to this role.
Letter from Systemic Partner-Verification on Partnerships
The following letter substantiates work from the initiatives included in this section. This letter verifies the partnerships and programs that were implemented at this school.
Grade-Level: All levels Activity Title: Green Practices Subject: Cleaning Products Teacher(s): All Staff, facilitated by Thompson When: 2018-2019 Number of Teachers: 23 Description: The green cleaning products initiative activity is when our janitors use environmentally safe cleaning products in our school. They give supplies to teachers so they can participate and give them tips. They also go into classrooms and teach students how to save the environment and use the correct products in their homes. Arlington is a green school so it is important to use safe products. Using environmentally friendly products has always been a goal of our school. Money and resources have been an issue in the past, as well as lack of information on available products. During the 2017-2018 school year, with the help of the Cleaning For Health effort from the board of education, our custodial staff was trained in the use of green products. From disinfectants to cleaning procedures, our custodial staff took cleaning to the green level. During the 2018-2019 school year our staff converted to all green products within the school. Each classroom used recycled spray bottles and refilled them with green products provided by the custodial staff. These products were effective in cleaning even the messiest of classrooms. From PreK to pre-teen our school community switched to cleaning up in a new way. These trends have not only made students more aware of harmful products, but it has also opened the eyes of staff to the hazardous materials that are used in over-the-counter cleaners. The staff role for this program was the following: 1. Incorporate green cleaning products in the classroom by using them on a daily basis. 2. Encouraging students to use green cleaning products and discussing the side effects of non-green cleaning products. 3. Maintaining healthy desktops during cold seasons and decreases sick-based absences. 4. Developing relationships with custodial staff. 5. Participating in the Green Raffle for home products based on their participation during the school year.
Styrofoam Advocacy Partnership
Grade-Level: All levels Activity Title: Styrofoam Advocacy Subject: Recycling Teacher(s): All Staff, facilitated by Thompson When: School Year 2017-2018, School Year 2018-2019 Number of Teachers: 23 Description: We have been working with B-more Beyond Plastic to ban Styrofoam supplies. We rallied in front of City Hall and had a spokesperson speak about how much we could save using paper. Paper is more environmentally safe than Styrofoam. The advocacy began in 2017-2018 working with B-more Beyond Plastic to attend events all over Baltimore and Annapolis. These events helped our cause get a voice. After we had the attention of City Hall and other stakeholders, we implemented the use of paper trays in our school. This happened in School Year 2018-2019. The trays and other bowls that are being use in the cafeteria now are made of paper. This product is better for the environment than our previous styrofoam trays. This partnership spanned a number of years and was very successful.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Mini-Education Grant (CBF)- Outdoor Classroom Creation
Grade-Level : 5th-8th Activity Title: Outdoor Classroom Essay Contents Subject: Outdoor Education Teacher(s): Bankins, Scott, Brice, Stanton, Yorkshire, Thomas, Tutt, Thompson When : 2018-2019 Number of Students: 200 Description: A five thousand dollar grant that funds our outdoor garden led by the green team and we are going to write lesson plans and teach the students about the garden and being green. It also funds our North Bay trip that gives a scholarship and pays the money for some students. Mrs.Thompson does an essay contest where thirty-one students can write an essay answering a question and first come first serve students get the scholarship to go for free.
Green Leader Program
Grade-Level : 7th and 8th Activity Title: Green Leader Program Subject: Green Practices Teacher(s): All Staff, facilitated by Thompson (25 General Educators) When : 2018-2019 Number of Teachers: 25 Description: Mrs. Thompson participated in a Baltimore City Public Schools Board of Education Program called the "Green Leader AU Program". This program allowed Mrs. Thompson access to support and guidance from multiple liasons throughout the district. Mrs. Thompson was able to attend various conferences to support this position and host a number of representatives from outside the classroom.
Green Healthy Smart Challenge (GHSC)
Grade-Level : All Staff Activity Title: Green Days Planning Subject: Green Practices Teacher(s): All Staff When : 2017-2019 Number of Teachers: 25 Description: All teachers in the building participated in a recycling challenge. To raise money for our green team by having environmental lesson for the younger students,we also had different challenges come to the school and work with everyone in the building. For years we only got one thousand dollars but this year we are working hard to get two-thousand five hundred and become a green school. This grant sponsors our school events like Green Day, an end of year celebration to celebrate mother earth, and field trips. This grant has support us to experience many forms of health, environmental and science education.
Baltimore Energy Challenge (BEC)
Grade-Level : All Staff Activity Title: Americorps and Energy Education Subject: Renewable Energy Teacher(s): Yorkshire, Thomas, Tutt, Bankins, Thompson When : 2017-2019 Number of students: 120 Description: A thousand-dollar grant to help work with the energy events in school. Events like One Switch Wednesday, Teacher student lesson, Power Down Thursday, Merit program, Drain Painting, and The Tiny House. The tiny house taught many students about energy efficency. The most important contribution includes Americorps working with the students on their STEAM Fair Projects. They help students complete energy programs and put together cool STEAM models for our events. They also have helped bring the community into our classroom by providing free home energy audits.