Maryland Green Centers -Valuable Environmental Partners

MAEOE is pleased to announce the certification of two new Maryland Green Centers: The SERT Program of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), and Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Anne Arundel County. MAEOE also recertified four Green Centers: The Anita C. Leight Estuary Center (Harford), Environmental Concern (Talbot), MCPS’s Outdoor Environmental Education Program (Montgomery), and Howard County Conservancy (Howard). Across the state, 34 Green Centers offer support to schools working toward certification as Maryland Green Schools. Green Center staff and volunteers provide environmental education programs, teacher professional development, model environmental best practices, and act as community partners assisting schools in fulfilling the requirements of Maryland Green School certification. “All the Green Centers bring expertise, knowledge, and support to schools, providing a variety of programs for schools. The SERT Program is a model of integrating school staff and students into facilities and waste management in the state’s largest school system. The Program teaches schools how to save energy, produce less waste, and restore habitats. Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary’s programs allow students to learn about watersheds, water pollution in Classrooms in the Field Investigations.” notes Joanne Schmader, MAEOE’s Maryland Green School Coordinator. “We are pleased to recognize all the great work of the recertifying Centers, serving thousands of Maryland students, and their families.” MAEOE will celebrate with Green Schools, Green Centers and schools that are interested in knowing more about the program at the Maryland Green School Youth Summit on June 1, 2012, at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis. The event is free and open to all Maryland Schools. Registration is at www.maeoe.org

MAEOE Certifies 101 Schools as MD Green Schools in 2012!

It’s official, 20% of the schools in Maryland have been certified in the life of the program! In 2012, MAEOE received 122 applications from schools that ranged from their first certification through 14 years as a certified MAEOE Green School. Of the 122 applications, 101 were certified with 56 new schools, 19 1st recertification’s after 4 years, 15 2nd recertification’s after 8 years, 11 model schools after 14 years. Many thanks to the Maryland Green Centers, Maryland Green School Leaders and MAEOE's Spring Interns for their application assistance.

Four Maryland Schools recognized as National Green Ribbon Schools

Four Maryland Schools achieved national recognition as National Green Ribbon Schools: Dunloggin Middle School, Ellicott City; Francis Scott Key Middle School, Silver Spring; Folger McKinsey Elementary School, Severna Park; and Lucy School,Middletown. Congratulations to All! Dunloggin Middle School has also been certified as a Maryland Green School since 2007. Folger McKinsey Elementary has been a certified Maryland Green School since 2006. The Maryland Green School Program is one of the oldest and most successful recognition programs in the U.S. From the USDE Press Release: Obama Administration Names 78 Schools in 29 States and D.C. as First-Ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Winners Represent a Diverse Portfolio of Schools, Includes 66 Public and 12 Private Schools in Urban and Rural Communities U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was joined today by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to announce the first-ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, a list including 78 schools that span 29 states and D.C. “Science, environmental and outdoor education plays a central role in providing children with a well-rounded education, helping prepare them for the jobs of the future,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools demonstrate compelling examples of the ways schools can help children build real-world skillsets, cut school costs, and provide healthy learning environments.” U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a federal recognition program that opened in September 2011. Honored schools exercise a comprehensive approach to creating “green” environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health, and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with the 21st century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy. "Schools that take a green approach cut costs on their utility bills, foster healthy and productive classrooms, and prepare students to thrive in the 21st century economy," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "These Green Ribbon School award winners are taking outstanding steps to educate tomorrow's environmental leaders, and demonstrating how sustainability and environmental awareness make sense for the health of our students and our country." The 78 awarded schools were named winners from among nearly 100 nominees submitted by 30 state education agencies, the District of Columbia and the Bureau of Indian Education. More than 350 schools completed applications to their state education agencies. Among the list of winners are 66 public schools including 8 charters, and 12 private schools composed of 43 elementary, 31 middle and 26 high schools with around 50 percent representing high poverty schools. "These Green Ribbon Schools are giving students and educators what they need to maximize learning and minimize risks like asthma and other respiratory illnesses, ensuring that no child is burdened by pollution in or around their school," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Today's winners are protecting our children's health and opening up environmental education opportunities for students. The EPA is proud to help recognize the Green Ribbon award winners and will continue working to improve the environment of our nation’s schools and helping prepare students to succeed in the emerging green economy.”

Need a Tree???

The Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS) is pleased to announce the opening of its spring BigTrees Sale. Recognizing the importance of BigTrees for stormwater management, erosion control, carbon sequestration, energy savings, and wildlife habitat provision, EPS is offering a wide selection of native Mid-Atlantic shade trees grown in the county's own reforestation nursery.

This spring, you can order your BigTrees online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/bigtrees. If you aren't sure which BigTree is right for your yard, business, church, etc., information on each species' preferred habitat is available on the website. You do not need to be a Baltimore County resident to order BigTrees.

Education Week Story: Informal Science helps meet STEM Goals

Governors Urged to Tap Into 'Informal' Science Education
By Erik Robelen on April 4, 2012 12:07 PM

In a new issue brief, the National Governors Association identifies science learning outside the classroom—often called "informal science education"—as a frequently overlooked vehicle for helping states advance their STEM goals.

The document urges governors to "explicitly" include informal science education on their action agenda to improve STEM learning among young people and have representatives from informal science institutions (such as museums and zoos) be a part of state STEM advisory councils.

"Informal science education extends student learning beyond the classroom through hands-on activities that let youth discover and practice STEM concepts," the NGA brief says.

Opportunities for such "informal" learning come through a variety of venues and activities, such as science centers and museums, zoos, robotics and rocketry clubs, online games, and science competitions, to name a few.

The NGA brief identifies some additional actions for states, including:

• Continue to support quality informal science programs in the state, such as those offered by museums and science centers;

• Encourage school districts to support more project-based STEM learning in after-school environments; and

• Encourage the governor's STEM council or state education agency to oversee the creation of an online catalog of informal science activities offered throughout the state and a compendium of program evaluations.

Last year, EdWeek published a special report, Science Learning Outside the Classroom, in which we examined what informal science education looks like in practice, what we know about its impact, its potential, and the challenges it faces to have a broader reach. We found that the field is gaining broader recognition for its role in helping young people acquire scientific knowledge and skills. (One of the most notable examples is a major report from the National Research Council issued in 2009, which noted that "beyond the schoolhouse door, opportunities for science learning abound.")

(Our report on informal science education was supported in part by a grant from the Noyce Foundation, which also underwrote the new NGA brief.)

The NGA issue brief suggests that "informal science offers states a powerful, low-cost way to help achieve the goals of an overall STEM strategy." It notes that most quality programs "involve little if any direct state funding and do not compete with other state education dollars or classroom time." (That said, many advocates for informal science education argue that additional funding is critical to help expand the influence and reach of their work. After all, somebody has to pay the bills for these programs and institutions.)

The brief argues that a key challenge is that many states fail to recognize and promote the role informal science learning activities can play in "buttressing" other state activities in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

"Thus, the state may be adopting more rigorous math and science standards, and providing more rigorous preparation for STEM students, while not taking full advantage of after-school programs or teacher professional-development opportunities provided through informal science institutions," the report says. "As a result, school districts engage with the informal science community in a patchwork fashion, with robust activities in some areas and none in others."
Categories:

Math and Science ,
State initiatives

Salt Marsh video contest!

Pickering Creek has a great contest that is open through April 22nd! Participants can submit a 30-60 second video that is styled on a Public Service Announcement that speaks to why they love marshes and everything that lives in them. They want to hear about people’s stories about the marsh whether new or old.

Prizes include many wonderful gift certificates to LOCAL Dorchester County businesses like Portside, Hi Spot, Crabigras, Canvasback, Hot Spot, Cool Eats, Cambridge Diner and Blackwater Paddle and Peddle.

Over $600 in prizes are available!

We need your help getting the word out. We want to make sure everyone hears about the great salt marshes they have right in their community and gets a chance to tell their story. Check out www.pickeringcreek.org for details!

MAEOE MD Green Schools are acknowledged for their great work by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the Green Schools National Conference

On February 28, 2012, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave the keynote speech for the Green Schools National Network Conference which took place in Denver, Colorado. In his keynote, Mr. Duncan noted that the Green Schools Conference “is a powerful testament to the fact that the green movement is no longer a sidelight in our nation's schools. For too long, greening our schools, developing environmental literacy, and nurturing stewardship and an ethic of sustainability in our students have been after-thoughts in education debates.” Mr. Duncan noted two takeaway messages in his speech Tuesday. First – That Green Schools and Environmental Literacy compliment the goals of providing a well-rounded education for the 21st century. Second – Not only do green schools compliment much of America’s core educational mission, they also nurture unique skills of special value in a knowledge-based economy. Mr. Duncan noted an interesting figure, that in 2001, less than 19,000 students nationwide took the AP Environmental Science Exam and in 2011, the number of students was nearly 100,000 – an increase nearly five-fold.
In addition, Mr. Duncan acknowledged “Green schools don't have to be brand new schools. They can be older schools taking simple steps to reduce their environmental impact or teach environmental literacy. Perhaps they start with packing lunches in reusable containers, providing healthy alternatives to birthday cupcake celebrations, and using private sector partnerships, as they have at Bond Mill Elementary in Laurel, Maryland. Not far from Bond, at Northwood High School, older students worked with community partners to restore a wooded area, install rain gardens, construct a trail, and improve habitat.” We are so excited that MAEOE MD Green Schools are receiving National Recognition for their amazing efforts and green works! The full article can be found at http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/greening-our-schools