Sligo Creek's Green School Efforts

     

    From Gina Riazi, SCES’s GreenKids Educator…

    GreenKids is a grant-funded outreach program designed to assist Montgomery County Public Schools. GreenKids and MCPS have signed a Memo of Understanding that supports expansion of the program into schools throughout the county. 

    GreenKids offers Montgomery County students, teachers and administrators resources, funds, and field trips to foster environmental stewardship while meeting established MCPS curriculum goals.

    GreenKids is a two-year program that provides science and environmental education enrichment to all students at SCES. All of our lessons are correlated with the science and/or social studies curriculum.

    Each grade should receive instruction from me 2 or 3 times throughout the year. GreenKids will assist SCES with recycling and energy conservation, butterfly garden expansion, and a Sligo Creek Appreciation Night.

    Most importantly, I am supporting the SCES community in achieving recognition as a Maryland Certified Green School. Here is a summary of the program:

    The Maryland Association for Outdoor and Environmental Education Green School Awards Program celebrates Maryland's model environmental education efforts which combine classroom studies with the use of best management practices at schools and involve the community. These are noncompetitive awards to recognize and celebrate the achievement of schools meeting strict environmental education criteria.

    All public and nonpublic schools in Maryland are eligible to participate. No special curriculum is needed. Schools must demonstrate that they meet criteria in the following areas:

    School & Community: The school extends its learning into the community through a variety of projects which address local environmental issues.

    Curriculum & Instruction: The school uses the environment as an integrating context or as an integral part of the school's instructional program.

    Operation & Design: Best environmental practices are modeled in the operation and design of the school facility.

    The science teacher, Dana Frye, is the GreenKids liaison for SCES.