green school summary 2010-2014
Parr’s Ridge Elementary School
has “Grown Greener” in the last four years! To encourage teachers and Pre-K,
kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students to participate in environmental
activities, a “Green Badge Program”
began in the fall of 2010. Each classroom has the opportunity to earn environmental
badges each year in six areas: “I Am Growing Greener”, “I Conserve Water”, “I
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”, “I Protect Living Things”, “I Make Healthy Life
Choices”, and “I Make My Community
Greener”.
Kindergarten students designed, planted and maintain a “Monarch Nursery” to study the monarch butterfly lifecycle. First Grade classes designed, planted and maintain a “Pollinator Garden” to observe how insects pollinate plants and to discover which plants attract insects . Second Grade students designed, raised funds to purchase native plants, planted, and maintain an “Insectary Garden” to study insect life cycles. All grades explore what’s happening in the “Vernal Pool Habitat” and how it changes throughout the year.
Recycle bins are now used in each classroom for single stream recycling. Students in each grade level participate in weekly collections of the recycled materials. In the cafeteria, recyclable materials are separated from trash. Weather permitting, fruit and vegetable scraps are collected, combined with leaves and added to the compost bin in our Bay-Wise Butterfly Garden. Glue sticks and ink cartridges are recycled as fundraisers for our school.
Researching the declining bluebird habitat, a second grade class invited the Mt. Airy Garden Club to our school to view a persuasive Bluebird Habitat power point presentation. The Garden Club awarded the students a $1,000 grant for the purchase of a “Bluebird Infrared Webcam Nestbox”. Students at Parr’s Ridge and all schools in Carroll County can view and study bluebird nesting habits and how non-native sparrows invade the habitat.
Each week on our WPAR Video News Program, Green Team reporters present Green News, highlighting environmental issues and remind everyone to “Live Green Every Day!”
Students submitted designs for the Green Team “Turn Off the Lights” Reminder Contest. The winning design is posted next to light switches in all rooms to encourage students and staff to turn off the lights when leaving the room.
The after school “Green Club” participates in planting native trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs on our campus. The club works with the Master Gardener Grow-It Eat-it Program sowing a variety of herb and heirloom tomato seeds. At the Annual Science Fair, students demonstrate for fair visitors how to sow and transplant seedlings using a Grow-Light Cart. Visitors are delighted to receive basil and heirloom tomato plants grown by Parr’s Green Club.
The Bay-Wise Certified Butterfly Garden has been expanded to include more host and nectar plants to provide a habitat for native butterflies and caterpillars. Our school campus is registered as official "Monarch Waystation 7706" at monarchwatch.org.
Parr’s Ridge Elementary was built in 2005. Although many native trees have been planted on the school campus, those trees won’t provide shade for student outdoor activities for many years. Students recorded temperatures on the front playground equipment throughout the school year. The temperatures can be very hot! As a result of their efforts, the Green Team applied and was awarded an $8,000 Shade Structure Grant from the American Academy of Dermatology to promote sun safety for our students. The Green Team promotes "Healthy Life Choices"!
Kindergarten students designed, planted and maintain a “Monarch Nursery” to study the monarch butterfly lifecycle. First Grade classes designed, planted and maintain a “Pollinator Garden” to observe how insects pollinate plants and to discover which plants attract insects . Second Grade students designed, raised funds to purchase native plants, planted, and maintain an “Insectary Garden” to study insect life cycles. All grades explore what’s happening in the “Vernal Pool Habitat” and how it changes throughout the year.
Recycle bins are now used in each classroom for single stream recycling. Students in each grade level participate in weekly collections of the recycled materials. In the cafeteria, recyclable materials are separated from trash. Weather permitting, fruit and vegetable scraps are collected, combined with leaves and added to the compost bin in our Bay-Wise Butterfly Garden. Glue sticks and ink cartridges are recycled as fundraisers for our school.
Researching the declining bluebird habitat, a second grade class invited the Mt. Airy Garden Club to our school to view a persuasive Bluebird Habitat power point presentation. The Garden Club awarded the students a $1,000 grant for the purchase of a “Bluebird Infrared Webcam Nestbox”. Students at Parr’s Ridge and all schools in Carroll County can view and study bluebird nesting habits and how non-native sparrows invade the habitat.
Each week on our WPAR Video News Program, Green Team reporters present Green News, highlighting environmental issues and remind everyone to “Live Green Every Day!”
Students submitted designs for the Green Team “Turn Off the Lights” Reminder Contest. The winning design is posted next to light switches in all rooms to encourage students and staff to turn off the lights when leaving the room.
The after school “Green Club” participates in planting native trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs on our campus. The club works with the Master Gardener Grow-It Eat-it Program sowing a variety of herb and heirloom tomato seeds. At the Annual Science Fair, students demonstrate for fair visitors how to sow and transplant seedlings using a Grow-Light Cart. Visitors are delighted to receive basil and heirloom tomato plants grown by Parr’s Green Club.
The Bay-Wise Certified Butterfly Garden has been expanded to include more host and nectar plants to provide a habitat for native butterflies and caterpillars. Our school campus is registered as official "Monarch Waystation 7706" at monarchwatch.org.
Parr’s Ridge Elementary was built in 2005. Although many native trees have been planted on the school campus, those trees won’t provide shade for student outdoor activities for many years. Students recorded temperatures on the front playground equipment throughout the school year. The temperatures can be very hot! As a result of their efforts, the Green Team applied and was awarded an $8,000 Shade Structure Grant from the American Academy of Dermatology to promote sun safety for our students. The Green Team promotes "Healthy Life Choices"!