2.2 energy conservation
The Folger Owls remain committed to energy conservation, adding new practices to an already dedicated effort. As a result, Folger continually improves in this area, as evidenced by the success in the school system’s holiday energy conservation contests.
OC2 student members placed labels on every light switch to draw attention to them and the importance of turning them off when not in use. Additionally, this effort has drawn attention to the new school’s excellent day-lighting feature, resulting in more classrooms turning out the lights even when full to take advantage of natural light to do the job. OC2 students remind fellow students and staff that energy conservation is “not to be taken lightly; switch off and make a difference!”
Classroom Energy Savers take their jobs seriously and truly make an impact! Some classrooms have a student or two dedicated to this role for the year; others rotate this job weekly. These students lead the way with reminders to turn out the lights when leaving the room, turning off the projectors/Smartboards when not in use and at the end of the day, powering down the classroom computers. The OC2 Leadership Team requested that classroom teachers add this job to the typical list of student helpers, recognizing its importance, and even requested that the Principal make a point of promoting the message of energy saving by powering down at the end of every school day. Reinforcing the message raises awareness everywhere!
OC2 members suggested that Folger participate in Earth Hour about 3 years ago and the annual tradition is now solidly in place. Two years ago, everyone thought the school would not proceed, given the very dark, gray skies – there would not be enough daylighting to do what needed to be done in the classrooms. But of course, dimming the lights did not stop the learning! While this practice always instills a bit of panic leading up to it, given how technologically reliant and advanced our classrooms have become, the Green School student club wants to uphold this tradition to draw attention to conserving energy and help the earth by doing just that at least this one hour a year when computers, lights and smartboards all go dark but Folger Owls keep on learning and making a difference in the world in which they live!
2.3 solid waste reduction
600+ students, 60+ staff members and many involved parent visitors and volunteers can really add up to a lot of waste but at Folger, students are leading the way to reduce it; and of course, re-use and recycle it too!
Waste Free Wednesdays are a long-standing Folger tradition, a cornerstone of student involvement that gets more creative and far-reaching every year! While the hope is that all students and staff make every effort to pack a waste-free lunch on a daily basis, this ideal is celebrated on Wednesdays. During lunch, OC2 members work to “catch students green- handed”, recognizing those students who have little to no waste, pack their meals in re-usable containers, and effectively recycle. Students receive an “earth-friendly” sticker or stamp, and many adorn their lunch boxes in the way a successful football player does with his helmet! There is also a monthly raffle, giving these students a chance to win an eco-prize for their environmental efforts.
Aluminum Can Recycling is another very effective, long-standing waste-reduction campaign at Folger. Begun more than 20 years ago, thanks to a Folger student and his grandfather who was willing to help with the weekly can collection, the practice endures long after that student graduated from college! Each year, new and more students get involved, collecting the cans, making posters and promoting the campaign on morning announcements. So effective is this practice, that the funds raised by recycling aluminum fuel the entire Folger Green School program, allowing for purchases like mulch for the school grounds, flowers and plants for the Outdoor Classroom, and much more.
Talk about sustainability!
Talk about sustainability!
The OC2 students do a phenomenal job of leading the charge when it comes to waste reduction and continually promote new opportunities to let everyone know just how easy it is to make a difference to the world. A few examples of their efforts include:
Classroom Crayon Recycling – The club manages this process to ensure all of the small crayon pieces don’t end up in landfills, but get turned into new crayons and crafts to add beauty to the world!
Earth Day Paper Recycling Contest - Classes competed to see which class could recycle the most paper (in terms of pounds) over a one-week period. During this time, OC2 students asked custodians not to empty the recycle bins and additional containers were provided. The idea behind the challenge was to encourage everyone to stop and think before throwing something away and consider, "Can this be recycled?" The hope is that students and staff look at the trash cans to make sure that potential recyclables were not getting thrown in the regular trash. As always, OC2 members promoted the activity and fostered the purpose of the lesson via morning announcements. The winning class earned extra time outside, enjoying time in nature with team-building activities.
Magazine Recycling Contest – Every November, OC2 makes classroom presentations to teach their classmates and staff about the importance of recycling and just how to do it! An annual magazine recycling contest provides a great visual as to the impact of recycling. To reward the winning classes, they receive an hour of outdoor time, engaging in team building activities, spending valuable time with nature, all to connect to the environment they made a difference in protecting.
Greening the Holidays Campaign – While most people dream of a white Christmas, OC2 students championed the beauty of a green one! Through this effort, coordinated via daily student-led morning announcements, they promoted the myriad opportunities to reduce, re-use and recycle over the holidays, demonstrating just how easy it is to be green!
Trash Bag Recycling - Being self-driven and motivated is greatly encouraged here at Folger McKinsey Elementary. We teach our students that one person really can make a difference and that the Earth will benefit from our good choices. In order to teach her peers and earn a girl scout badge in the process one student has chosen to collect and recycle all of the paper and plastic bags for her whole grade. She decorated a box, brought it to school, and throughout the month of February the children bring in their bags from home to recycle as a group. Each week the student who is earning her girl scout badge empties the box and takes the bags to the recycling center.
Book Drive - Each March, Folger celebrates Dr. Seuss' birthday with Read Across America Day festivities that include community guest readers and a gently used book drive. Folger students are avid readers and when they are done with the books, they gather them and give them to other area children in need of books. This twist on the traditional 3 Rs of schools promotes Reading, RECYCLING and RE-USING!
Book Drive - Each March, Folger celebrates Dr. Seuss' birthday with Read Across America Day festivities that include community guest readers and a gently used book drive. Folger students are avid readers and when they are done with the books, they gather them and give them to other area children in need of books. This twist on the traditional 3 Rs of schools promotes Reading, RECYCLING and RE-USING!
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2.5 structures for
environmental learning
The courtyard in the center of the school is far more than a green space or path to cut across the school. It has been transformed into the “OC”, Outdoor Classroom, and it offers myriad opportunities for exploratory learning. It is a place that provides our students with hands-on, active learning experiences that incorporate nature and the environment with science, math, reading, writing, art, music and physical education. Features of the OC include a butterfly garden; water feature and bog; raised garden beds that include a sensory garden, vegetables and the state flower; compost bin; stage; and two patios with seating to accommodate traditional instruction to complement the active learning opportunities. Research has shown that exposure to nature develops environmental values, but such values must be rooted in childhood environmental experiences. Students maintain these areas, and even helped build many of the components in the first place, to establish getting outside to learn as a priority. The OC and the entire Folger campus are utilized regularly by the staff and students to establish those roots, allowing our students to flourish!
The Butterfly Garden
Initially established in partnership with Arlington Echo, AACPS’ Environmental and Outdoor Education department, the butterfly garden has blossomed into a wonderful, beautiful and exciting learning environment. While every grade level enjoys its offerings, observes its seasonal changes, and witnesses nature in action, it is our first graders whose experiences here are worth noting. With extensive curriculum connections, first grade reads both fiction and non-fiction selections about butterflies to better understand the environment right outside their windows. They begin their journey as researchers, coupling language arts and science units, focused on butterflies and their migration. They observe the butterfly lifecycle by hatching butterflies in their classroom and then releasing them in the OC butterfly garden. Every spring, they take to the garden to explore, counting and considering the many chrysalis in the butterfly garden and they chart and share their news to encourage all students to witness and wonder.
Beyond such direct curriculum connections, students take the responsibility for tending the garden and learning the importance of weeding, mulching, watering, and re-planting milkweed and other items to maintain the integrity of the butterfly garden. It’s also a source of inspiration for writing and art projects at all grade levels.
The Butterfly Garden
Initially established in partnership with Arlington Echo, AACPS’ Environmental and Outdoor Education department, the butterfly garden has blossomed into a wonderful, beautiful and exciting learning environment. While every grade level enjoys its offerings, observes its seasonal changes, and witnesses nature in action, it is our first graders whose experiences here are worth noting. With extensive curriculum connections, first grade reads both fiction and non-fiction selections about butterflies to better understand the environment right outside their windows. They begin their journey as researchers, coupling language arts and science units, focused on butterflies and their migration. They observe the butterfly lifecycle by hatching butterflies in their classroom and then releasing them in the OC butterfly garden. Every spring, they take to the garden to explore, counting and considering the many chrysalis in the butterfly garden and they chart and share their news to encourage all students to witness and wonder.
Beyond such direct curriculum connections, students take the responsibility for tending the garden and learning the importance of weeding, mulching, watering, and re-planting milkweed and other items to maintain the integrity of the butterfly garden. It’s also a source of inspiration for writing and art projects at all grade levels.
Raised Garden Beds
The six raised garden beds were assembled by students and installed with the intention that they provide some variety to complement curriculum, with three grade levels each designated for the responsibility of two beds to lead the way for maintenance and lesson plans. OC2, the Outdoor Classroom Club, complements the efforts of the grade levels with ongoing support, maintenance and additions to the beds as needed.
Sensory Gardens – two raised beds are ripe with herbs and spices to engage the senses of all students.
Black-Eyed Susan – The Maryland state flower blooms gloriously in two beds each year. Connections to science and the plant life-cycle are obvious, and observing the expansion of this variety is exciting. Students are able to use the growth here to supplement the butterfly garden. Additionally, social studies lessons are inspired, along with writing and research, as Maryland history comes to life through time at this learning structure.
Vegetable Gardens – While the hope was – and still is – to produce actual produce, providing for tasting of the rainbow, the obvious lessons of science continue but the real learning here seems to be more about resiliency! If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Students from season to season over the few years these beds have been in place are learning what works and what does not. Back to the research they go to select other varieties to plant, considering the soil, sun and other environmental factors. These beds were designated to 4th grade, a year in which the theme of colonial Maryland is woven throughout the year. There is a tremendous connection here to the efforts of farming and the challenges and successes of the early colonists, as well as the farmers of today. Students still talk about and celebrate the single, but awesome, carrot that was produced in the Folger OC!
The six raised garden beds were assembled by students and installed with the intention that they provide some variety to complement curriculum, with three grade levels each designated for the responsibility of two beds to lead the way for maintenance and lesson plans. OC2, the Outdoor Classroom Club, complements the efforts of the grade levels with ongoing support, maintenance and additions to the beds as needed.
Sensory Gardens – two raised beds are ripe with herbs and spices to engage the senses of all students.
Black-Eyed Susan – The Maryland state flower blooms gloriously in two beds each year. Connections to science and the plant life-cycle are obvious, and observing the expansion of this variety is exciting. Students are able to use the growth here to supplement the butterfly garden. Additionally, social studies lessons are inspired, along with writing and research, as Maryland history comes to life through time at this learning structure.
Vegetable Gardens – While the hope was – and still is – to produce actual produce, providing for tasting of the rainbow, the obvious lessons of science continue but the real learning here seems to be more about resiliency! If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Students from season to season over the few years these beds have been in place are learning what works and what does not. Back to the research they go to select other varieties to plant, considering the soil, sun and other environmental factors. These beds were designated to 4th grade, a year in which the theme of colonial Maryland is woven throughout the year. There is a tremendous connection here to the efforts of farming and the challenges and successes of the early colonists, as well as the farmers of today. Students still talk about and celebrate the single, but awesome, carrot that was produced in the Folger OC!
2.7 healthy school environment
Owls are known to be wise and Folger owls are no different, as these students actively participate in getting outside, making healthy choices and engaging in physical fitness. And the school climate certainly supports their interest, allowing time and space to attain these goals.
Race for Education – In 2016 and again in April of 2017, every Folger student will spend an hour outside on a single day in the interest of promoting physical fitness and serving the school. Through this event, students will be recognized for their participation and effort. Additionally, special recognition will go to those who complete the most laps on the school-campus course. The benefits of this exercise will continue, as it is the basis of a fundraiser in which students write letters to family and friends to sponsor their running. In the inaugural event, more than $30,000 were raised to benefit the school. The 2017 goal is to exceed that and to use the majority of the funds to expand the recess and outdoor learning environments with a natural playscape and other components.
It’s a full-circle promotion of healthy school environment ideals! |
In addition to Race for Education, Folger students also participate in Girls on the Run, with a fall and spring team each year, involving girls in grades 2-5; and Hero Boys, a running club for boys that every spring has more than 30 boys in grades 3-5. Both programs offer lessons on training and physical fitness, working toward a culminating 5K run, as well as character education with themes such as confidence, making good choices and healthy relationships. Given the volume of student participation each session and the number of sessions over the years, the value of these programs is far reaching!
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Girls on the Run - Taking our Healthy School Habits on the road, this Girls on the Road team partnered with the Baltimore Running Festival to lend a hand by serving water to runners at the Baltimore Marathon.
Tasting the Rainbow – Folger students excitedly participate in the AACPS Tasting the Rainbow campaign, sampling foods from area farms and learning about concepts like farm to table, organic foods, and nutritional value.
Tasting the Rainbow is promoted as a school-wide activity. Shown on morning announcements, students are encouraged to sample the seasonal selections and to eat in a healthy manner at all times!