St. Mary's boasts four more schools gone green

Elementary designation brings county's total to six flags

Friday, June 12, 2009

The four St. Mary's public schools, along with 63 other Maryland schools, make up the 2009 class of newly certified green schools.

The program, developed and administered by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, challenges all public and non-public schools to integrate the environment into all aspects of the school culture.

Schools seek certification by demonstrating environmental aspects within professional development for teachers, student curriculum, community involvement and other aspects of school.

The schools from the state were officially recognized earlier this week at Huntingtown High School in Calvert. The four newest St. Mary's green schools join Hollywood and Oakville elementary schools as certified green schools.

"We've got a couple more that are starting to dip their toe into the pool," and look at becoming green school-certified, said Kelly Hall, director of elementary instruction, administration and school improvement.

Each school participates in a number of specific environmental activities at the school site such as recycling or building a local habitat for plants and animals.

"Of course, it certainly takes a personal spin," as schools develop their unique programs, Hall said.

For instance, the Chesapeake school has built its own organic garden, while White Marsh has put heavy emphasis on recycling and Earth Day. Banneker has focused on collecting and recycling used glue sticks and Piney Point has built a native plant habitat.

"They're working really hard. They're trying to make environmentally conscious decisions with very young kids," Hall said. By instilling the ideals early on, Hall said the idea of being friendly to the environment can stick with a child through his or her life.

According to the Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland Green Schools have been proven to outperform non-Maryland Green Schools in math and reading, even when accounting for socioeconomic factors.

Students design and implement programs on school grounds and in the community that contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, reducing pollutant export to the bay, staunching solid waste disposal and increasing wildlife habitat.

Past Maryland Green School projects included improving school outdoor environments through landscaping, establishing a butterfly garden, holding a poster contest to encourage recycling, practicing water conservation and water pollution prevention, starting a stream erosion prevention program, and creating an outdoor classroom.

This year marks the largest number of Maryland Green Schools named in the program's 11-year history. With these 69 new schools, there are now 271 Maryland schools with Green School status.

"In a country where students sit more than move, are plugged into electronic media more often than not, and can identify over 2,000 corporate logos but not a single species of tree, we need Maryland Green Schools," said Bronwyn Mitchell, MAEOE's executive director.

jyeatman@somdnews.com