STUDENT DRIVEN SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
Structures for Environmental Learning
Use of Outdoor Environment for Classroom Learning
The MWS Outdoor Classroom and blacktop area includes an amphitheatre, blacktop for instruction through play, an aqueduct, four vegetable planting beds, and many native plantings. The Outdoor Classroom not only is a target for substantial run-off but also our students have learned about water conservation, first hand, in our very own Outdoor Classroom. The Outdoor Classroom is used by all grade level teachers. The Outdoor Classroom is used for our annual Earth Day Celebration, Fall Festival, -Walk-A-Thon, Sunfest and other community related events.
Our Learning Garden is a peaceful space for small class instruction. It's walls are painted with Green inspiration and lessons from the water cycle to the carbon cycle. It adjoins a blacktop with foam padding and a set of monkey bars.
The MWS Outdoor Classroom and blacktop area includes an amphitheatre, blacktop for instruction through play, an aqueduct, four vegetable planting beds, and many native plantings. The Outdoor Classroom not only is a target for substantial run-off but also our students have learned about water conservation, first hand, in our very own Outdoor Classroom. The Outdoor Classroom is used by all grade level teachers. The Outdoor Classroom is used for our annual Earth Day Celebration, Fall Festival, -Walk-A-Thon, Sunfest and other community related events.
Our Learning Garden is a peaceful space for small class instruction. It's walls are painted with Green inspiration and lessons from the water cycle to the carbon cycle. It adjoins a blacktop with foam padding and a set of monkey bars.
Nature Trail paths are fashioned in our Rain Garden for geo-location lessons. We have helped the environment by improving wildfire habitat and water quality, reduced noise and air pollution, and created a place to enjoy the outdoors.
The Mt. Washington Arboretum, though not maintained by the school children is a place of natural beauty used by classes to commune with nature and boost natural instruction. Some of our students do lend a hand in maintenance and updates to it just for fun.
The Mt. Washington Arboretum, though not maintained by the school children is a place of natural beauty used by classes to commune with nature and boost natural instruction. Some of our students do lend a hand in maintenance and updates to it just for fun.
Recycling and Compost Structures
MWS students are committed to recycling. Students and staff recycle all paper and all forms of containers. There are paper recycling bins in every classroom and throughout the upper and lower buildings. Energy Captains and Green Leaders have created processes of recycling collectioin to weigh and audit. Every week during the morning announcements winning classrooms are celebrated, students are assigned to take the recycle bins outside for pick-up.
Green leaders have put together compost bins, and a system for composting at lunch. These systems have been adored by our younger Energy Captains to make their own take on composting where they compete by tables for the most compost without deductions. Compost from here goes to our three bin compost bins to mix our nitrogen rich with our carbon rich compost for the best soil. We use our soil for our vegetable patch which completes our circle. Our scholars lead the way on this first hand knowledge!
MWS students are committed to recycling. Students and staff recycle all paper and all forms of containers. There are paper recycling bins in every classroom and throughout the upper and lower buildings. Energy Captains and Green Leaders have created processes of recycling collectioin to weigh and audit. Every week during the morning announcements winning classrooms are celebrated, students are assigned to take the recycle bins outside for pick-up.
Green leaders have put together compost bins, and a system for composting at lunch. These systems have been adored by our younger Energy Captains to make their own take on composting where they compete by tables for the most compost without deductions. Compost from here goes to our three bin compost bins to mix our nitrogen rich with our carbon rich compost for the best soil. We use our soil for our vegetable patch which completes our circle. Our scholars lead the way on this first hand knowledge!
Planting and Harvesting for the Fall Festival
Every year MWS students plant, grow and harvest vegetables and sweet potatoes in the Outdoor Classroom. The students designed the sweet potato beds and maintain the area throughout the year. Students grow sweet potato slips indoors while taking scientific notes on growth, size, care, color. Planting occurs in the spring when they take their baby plants out for Earth's nurturing. In November, the students harvest sweet potatoes and other veggies, make and enjoy healthy snacks and dishes, learn about preservation methods and solar to chemical energy transfer. It is a sweet circle of life for a potato.
Every year MWS students plant, grow and harvest vegetables and sweet potatoes in the Outdoor Classroom. The students designed the sweet potato beds and maintain the area throughout the year. Students grow sweet potato slips indoors while taking scientific notes on growth, size, care, color. Planting occurs in the spring when they take their baby plants out for Earth's nurturing. In November, the students harvest sweet potatoes and other veggies, make and enjoy healthy snacks and dishes, learn about preservation methods and solar to chemical energy transfer. It is a sweet circle of life for a potato.
Rain Barrel Installation
The Green Committee has worked with our Energy Captains and The National Aquarium to obtain and install rain barrels. Working with the National Aquarium and our Aqua Partners we were able to obtain four rain barrels over the last two years. Energy captains installed them using tool techniques of leveraging and teamwork. Learning how to capture enough water to fill them found us learning about aqueducts. Green Leaders worked with us to identify a combined system to stop erosion and move the water to a helpful spot. Doing like the Romans did we stretched our aqueduct from the hillside down to our rain barrels. Our new system curbs erosion and feeds our plants throughout the growing season. Next step is to work with City Schools Facilities to identify how to capture the roof runoff to water more garden beds with the same techniques.
The Green Committee has worked with our Energy Captains and The National Aquarium to obtain and install rain barrels. Working with the National Aquarium and our Aqua Partners we were able to obtain four rain barrels over the last two years. Energy captains installed them using tool techniques of leveraging and teamwork. Learning how to capture enough water to fill them found us learning about aqueducts. Green Leaders worked with us to identify a combined system to stop erosion and move the water to a helpful spot. Doing like the Romans did we stretched our aqueduct from the hillside down to our rain barrels. Our new system curbs erosion and feeds our plants throughout the growing season. Next step is to work with City Schools Facilities to identify how to capture the roof runoff to water more garden beds with the same techniques.
Environmental Activism City and State Level
The Mount Washington School Green Committee partnered with Baltimore Beyond Plastic to bring regulation to ban the use of Styrofoam in Baltimore's food containers. We have instituted a change locally and still have more work to do at the state level. We learned about representative government and gained a new appreciation of how we are all a part of it. Green Leaders and ECC members represented the hopes of our youth at Mount Washington.
Together we:
The Mount Washington School Green Committee partnered with Baltimore Beyond Plastic to bring regulation to ban the use of Styrofoam in Baltimore's food containers. We have instituted a change locally and still have more work to do at the state level. We learned about representative government and gained a new appreciation of how we are all a part of it. Green Leaders and ECC members represented the hopes of our youth at Mount Washington.
Together we:
- Took survey polls of attitudes on polystyrene
- Worked to Ban Polystyrene through Baltimore, and continue work at state level.
- Protested at City Hall and Annapolis.
- Gave written and oral testimony at City Hall.
- Brought a human face to our future generation that will be feeling the effects of today's vote.
- Learned about how representative government works.
- Met with Delegates and lobbied our point of view.
- Represented our green youth well to our city,
- Worked with Baltimore Beyond Plastic to assist in passing the Ban on Polystyrene for food containers in Baltimore. Watch our Energy Captain Nathan discuss the effort in a CBS news clip.