G reen S c hool

Some of the most visible changes to our campus, however, are the exciting new environmental learning structures the students, faculty, and staff have built. The fenced-in Upper School garden has been producing beautiful flowers and healthy vegetables for the past three years. The outdoor amphitheater, tucked into the woods behind the Middle School, opened its second season this fall with Under the Stars. However, for students in art, science, and many other classes, their favorite campus location is the outdoor classroom by the pond. The student-built dragon desk/tables provide a perfect work space. Other Upper School favorites are the volleyball court, weather-resistant ping pong tables and the chin-up bars that were constructed during the Sophomore/Junior expeditions last September. Another area of focus continues to be restoration of habitats for the benefit of the wildlife that share our campus. The Environmental Club has spent a lot of time removing invasive species that are out-competing the plants that serve as food for wildlife. This fall, bluebird boxes built by the Stage Craft class were mounted along the trail to the pond. Last year the 5th grade celebrated the planting of a third generation Wye Oak, which fortunately survived all of our many storms and is hopefully on the way to becoming a mighty oak! Each year, the 5th grade students add to the Glenelg Country School Arboretum by identifying trees on the campus. In addition to all of the transformations taking place on the school grounds, Glenelg students and faculty have also continued to make a difference in the community. Already this fall, faculty and students have planted fall crops at the Howard County Food Bank Garden, scoured the beaches for trash and debris with the Ocean Conservancys Coastal Cleanup, planted bulbs at the Route 216 Park and Ride, and participated in a fall clean-up at Whipps cemetery in Ellicott City, MD. In keeping with our commitment to reducing use of paper, our application this year will be via a GCS Green School website. Once it is completed, everyone will be able to see all the many accomplishments as well as the ongoing Green activities happening at Glenelg Country School.

GCS ReGreens!
By Carolyn Cradler, Green School Coordinator Glenelg Country School will be applying for recertification as a Maryland Green School in April 2013. The Maryland Green School program, one of the most comprehensive Green School programs in the country, is sponsored by MAEOE (Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators, www.maeoe.org). The main goals of the program are to encourage schools to develop more sustainable practices and encourage students and staff to become better environmental stewards. As a Green School, we are supporting the GCS mission statement that reads that we will offer a curriculum and environment such that each student will developan ecological and aesthetic awareness. Glenelg Country School was first awarded our Green School certification in 2009 after a two-year process during which we documented the ongoing environmental instruction and environmentally sound best management activities practiced by the school. It is significant to note that GCS is one of only a handful of Pre-K3 12 schools that are certified Green Schools. As we prepare our recertification application, we are amazed at all that has been accomplished in the past four years since we received our original Green
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School recognition. In addition to the many exciting environmentally-friendly topics and projects that have been undertaken in Pre-K3 to 12th grade classrooms that we will be documenting, the Green School committee will also focus on four main best management practices that are exhibited by the school. For example, our new native plant rain garden in the rear of the Upper School as well as the native plant riparian buffer planted along the banks of the stream demonstrate well our commitment to water conservation and pollution prevention. The new pier and dock at the pond provides students with much better access to pond water for water quality studies. We also have reduced the amount of solid waste going into our landfills by increasing our campus-wide recycling efforts. This includes the recycling of paper, plastics, and aluminum, and also ink cartridges. The Lower School Green Club has challenged all Lower School students to reduce the number of single-use plastic water bottles consumed. The Upper School Environmental Club is also introducing a program for the composting of suitable lunch wastes. Probably the biggest reduction in our use of paper is due to the tremendous increase we have seen in school-wide electronic communication.

Opposite Page, from top: Students having science class at the pond; Students landscaping the surrounding area by the pond. This Page, from top: Students working on the rain garden outside the Upper School; Students working on the bird houses during expeditions; Installation of a competed birdhouse.

Spiortad an Drgoin

Fall 2012/Winter 2013

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