It has been a unique collection of years for this phase of our MD Green School recertification. We've overcome many hurdles and found new ways of operating, while holding onto the strong green culture we've created over the past 15 year.
With a new perspective on the value of getting outside, one thing is true - we are very lucky to have various habitats for learning on our school grounds, built over the years of being a Green School. We now use these green spaces not only to get outside and learn in nature, but to create more opportunities to physically distance and breathe fresh air during instruction. With a refurbished native garden, planned and planted by students, and jump-started by the community's summer care, we again have a beautiful and meaningful place to teach and learn - but also to serve as a model for our community. Our band students practice out in the garden regularly, as weather permits. Our annual butterfly releases are also held in our native garden, as a great place to start a new adult butterfly's life.
While we have always had a focus on solid waste management at our school, it was when we returned to the building after a year of online learning that we faced the fact our recycling system needed an upgrade. We needed all parts of our recycling system to be in working order to ensure the very least amount of waste was headed to the landfill from our school. Fifth grade Earth Pal students happily and swiftly devised a system, pitched it to administration and custodial staff, and then created a video, shown on America Recycles Day in all classrooms, to make sure the entire student body was informed and on board. Student collectors do their job daily throughout the school, and our system is working better than it ever has!
Another new focus at Atholton - When students returned to the school, it became important for each child to bring in their own water bottle, since water fountains were not available. In every classroom in the school, you will see students with a reusable water bottle on their desk. Because of this, we installed a water bottle fountain system, where students can fill their bottles throughout the day. Not only are our students drinking more water, it has become habit for them to drink from a reusable water bottle regularly.
As of this school year, students are eating outside daily - even in the winter months! While this was put into place due to indoor eating limitations in our cafeteria, we feel it has become a very healthy way for the students to spend their lunch time. They remove their masks, breathe the fresh air, and enjoy the sounds and smells of the outside world while getting to be social with one another as well.
Staff was also provided a new place to enjoy lunch or a break outside - the Panther Patio! This brand new Panther Patio, with four beautiful picnic tables, constructed, treated and installed by one of our wonderful dedicated Girl Scout troops, is a lovely place, somewhat out of the hustle bustle, to sit an enjoy a lunch right at the edge of our lovely woods.
Mr. Tobin, our amazing guidance counselor, has also had a picnic table installed in the front of the school for a chance to meet with students in the outdoors. We know getting outside is huge when it comes to mental health. Now Mr. Tobin has a great way to practice healthy methods.
Top 5 Accomplishments:
1. Refurbishing the Native Garden: Our Native Garden refurbishing project was a collaborative effort, which started with a grant, and was researched, planned and implemented by students and supported over the first summer by the community, in order to provide a model native garden for our school community, as well as a great place to learn.
2. New & Improved School-wide Recycling System: When it became evident our previous recycling system wasn't allowing for as much recycling as we knew we could have, our fifth grade Earth Pal students devised a feasible recycling system to increase our recycling and involve all students and staff.
3. Trout in the Classroom: Raising and releasing trout at Atholton has become a rite of passage for some fifth graders, however all students in the school have daily opportunities to incorporate the trout life cycle in their learning.
4. School-wide Earth Day Week Celebrations:Earth Day week has become an annual week-long event that involved all students, staff, and school families, planned by the AES Green Team, along with the student Green Ambassadors/Earth Pals, to focus on the appreciation of our Earth and the many ways we can work to protect it.
5. America Recycles Day: America Recycles Day has remained an annual event that grows each year to include over 100 student sculptures made of recyclable materials on display in the front of the school for all to enjoy.
Goals:
I. 4 years:
a. It is Atholton's goal to maintain the successful recycling system Earth Pal students devised and the school has implemented. This plan necessitates every member of the school to do their part to ensure our recyclables are making it to the proper places so that custodial staff has the smoothest way possible to get them to the recycling dumpster. We want our recyclables to continue to be valid materials for recycling - with no trash in the mix. Our new system has helped to ensure this is so.
b. We would also like to continue our new practices of eating outside, having a break outside, and taking instruction and meetings outside as much as possible. While we have had a beautiful outdoor classroom in the woods for many years now, it is so nice to have three additional spaces to spend time outdoors, in addition to the recess playground, blacktop and field.
c. Besides maintaining what we already have in place, whether old or new practices, a big 4-year goal would be to find a way to return to a viable way to reduce waste in the lunchroom. We've had huge efforts in this arena over the past 15 years, and somehow, the county as a whole has limited its support for cafeteria recycling. It is a difficult challenge, since one piece of trash in a recycle bin can ruin an entire bin of recycling. Therefore, a goal for the next 4 years would be to find a way to return to a focus of waste-free lunches and lunchroom recycling. Thankfully our school system eliminated styrofoam lunch trays several years ago, however we know there is still work to be done when it comes to reducing waste in the cafeteria.
II. 8 years:
a. With so many changes in just the past two years, it's hard to imagine eight years from now. Something we've planted in the past few years is the start of an awareness of the power of riding your bike to school. The number of bikes being ridden regularly has increased each year. An eight-year goal would be to increase the number of bike-riders at our school. This may take getting the community involved on a daily basis - not just for National Ride Your Bike to School Day. Where there's a will, there's a way!
III. 12 years:
a. Our school is over 60 years old. In twelve year's time, the goal would be to have some of the school features found in more newly built LEED certified schools installed in our own school. This would be an effort stemming from students' vision of what they'd like to see for their school. Perhaps it could start by visiting a LEED certified school and researching those features that have made the greatest difference, then involving the entire school and community to help make those features a reality for our unique little old Green School.
b. In twelve years, waste management should be something we no longer worry about. Systems should be put in place to ensure that conservation is at the forefront of everyone's mind and that the culture of our school drives conservation more naturally.