Classroom Earth High School Challenge Grant Awardees
Multiple Course Grants | Single Course Grants | Professional Development Grants
Multiple Course Grants
The Academy of Technology, Environment, and Systems Sciences
Erol Miller, Environmental Science Teacher, Academy Head
Northwood High School
Silver Spring, Maryland
Northwood HS is comprised of small learning communities, called Academies. Erol Miller described that although an Environmental Academy exists at his school, there is an opportunity for additional courses at the school to build students’ environmental literacy:
- The Law Academy will examine environmental legislation and current topics;
- The Humanities, Art, and Media Academy classes will promote environmental topics through research, development, and airing public service announcements for morning TV announcements;
- The Academy of Technology, Environment, and Systems Science students will focus on organic and sustainable farming in the school’s pre-existing greenhouse;
- The Special Education and Emotionally Disturbed environmental class will plant a native habitat garden and observe organisms in the “River Tank” ecosystem.
An Environmental Thematic Approach to the Ninth and Tenth Grade Curricula
Genevieve Goldstein, English Teacher
Pajaro Valley High School
Watsonville, California
Genevieve Goldstein will be working with ninth- and tenth-grade students on a project-based approach to aligning English, science, and math content to environmental literacy. Each grade level will focus on its own environmental theme for the year. Global warming will be the hot topic for ninth-grade students, looking at earth systems, ecology, plate tectonics and energy. Selections of literature, including Islands and Enter the Earth, will support understanding of the scientific concepts while promoting environmental awareness. Social justice will be the focus for tenth-grade students. The accompanying biology curriculum incorporates nutrition, genetics, physiology, and chemistry. The literature selections will support environmental awareness by connecting nutrition and organics, forensic science, toxics and pesticide use to the science curriculum. Learning will be supplemented with the installation and tending of a schoolyard garden, as well as field trips to the Life Lab Learning Center in Santa Cruz.
Examining Environmental Issues in the Engineering, Mathematics, Industry, Technology, and Science (EMITS) Academy
Jay Inman, Science Teacher
Owen Valley Community High School
Spencer, Indiana
Jay Inman reports that historically there has been little focus on environmental topics at Owen Valley Community High School. Jay and the EMITS Academy team of teachers chose an annual theme of energy that will last for two years. All courses of the Academy including Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Business, and Technology will address this theme in a cross-curricular approach. They will investigate energy production and use, as well as the environmental issues, and the economics of energy using current and historical events for analysis. By increasing the students’ essential understanding of energy through academic connections, as well as providing them with functional tools (i.e., carbon calculators), awareness and environmental literacy will increase. This interdisciplinary program will measure growth and success by establishing the initial baseline of environmental knowledge and student environmental attitudes. Student reflections and answers will be compared to this baseline in the current year as well as in the second year as more specific environmental courses are developed for students in the Academy.
The Global Supermarket
Susy Ellison, Science Teacher
Yampah Mountain High School
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Susy Ellison plans to integrate environmental education by examining the origins of agriculture and its evolution, tracing regional and ecological origins of foods, and investigating the globalization of world food markets. Case studies in sustainable communities, geography of food, and statistical applications are core parts of the program. Volunteer activities include working with local sustainable agriculture projects. The construction of a greenhouse, necessary in the Colorado Mountain area’s short growing season, will supplement student learning and provide the hands-on experience integral to reducing absenteeism. The greenhouse will provide continuous service-learning opportunities for the school and its students for years to come.
The GREEN (Generating Respect for the Earth, the Environment, and Nature) Academy
Fiona Lewis Mackert, Biology Teacher
Robert A. Millikan High School
Long Beach, CA
Millikan High School is divided into seven smaller learning communities, or Academies. Two years ago, environmental education was limited to science courses. However, the Science and Math Academy decided to shift its focus to environmental science and to integrate environmental education across the curricula. The GREEN Academy’s vision is inspired by Mahatma Ghandi’s statement, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The hope for the Academy is to use the environment as a lens for learning by providing a rigorous student-centered college preparatory curriculum that encourages critical thinking and extends learning beyond the classroom and into the local environment. Long Beach is an urban environment that houses part of the third largest port in the world. A large part of the science curriculum involves water quality monitoring and education of community members. The Academy strives to not only provide an environmental field trip but also a college field trip for each student each year of the Academy. Students must also complete over 40 hours of environmental community service.
An Informed Approach to “Living Green” in the Heart of a City
Carolyn Derr & Martha Alvarez, Science Teachers
William J. Palmer High School
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Carolyn Derr and Martha Alvarez’s students will investigate the delicate, dynamic, ecological equilibrium of natural systems that exists through cause and effect relationships of biotic and abiotic factors. Through community partnerships, students will analyze how human-made systems interact with natural systems, with a focus on food production and water use. Students will develop operational definitions of what it means to “live green” in the heart of a city. Making connections between research and experience with food choices and sustainability is a key element of the project. By coordinating with international schools to compare studies on water and food consumption, students will gain a global perspective along with their local perspective.
Single Course Grants
A Community Pond Study
Ninth Grade Science
Kerry Hoeschen
Eagle Ridge Junior High School
Savage, MN
Kerry Hoeschen wants to turn the ninth grade science course into a capstone course for the Eagle Ridge Junior High School. A local body of water, Sunset pond, will be studied through water quality testing and GIS mapping of its depth. Utilizing the resources of a local environmental learning center, students will design their own inquiry-based investigations and build three dimensional models of the pond. The proposal has strong community support and the hope is that some of the students will eventually work at the environmental learning center after this course.
Energy Audits for the Elderly, a Study of Consumption and Conservation
Energy & Power
Karen Armstrong
Watkins Glen High School
Watkins Glen, New York
Energy consumption and conservation is the focus of Karen Armstrong’s proposal. Beginning with a study on consumption of traditional fuels, students will engage in research on the effects of procurement and use of these fuels, as well as social impact. Alternative energy sources will help shape a better understanding of global energy consumption. A key concept is that no matter the source of energy, reducing consumption is a sure way to help the Earth and its inhabitants. To highlight the opportunities in conservation, Karen has partnered with the local Office of the Aging to investigate heat loss in the homes of elderly community members. Using an infrared camera, students will perform energy audits to identify the sources of heat loss in homes. Students will then make weatherproofing recommendations.
Go MAD (Make a Difference) for the Coast!
Environmental Science
Sue Ellen Lyons
Holy Cross High School
New Orleans, LA
Hurricane Katrina demolished the Holy Cross School, and stopped the environmental service learning projects that the school historically conducted. With a new school being built, Sue Ellen Lyons proposes to return to water quality monitoring of waterways entering Lake Pontchartrain, and join Louisiana State University’s Coastal Roots program. Through this program 11th and 12th grade students will begin growing wetland plants and then hardwood trees to help reforest the school campus and other wetland areas that were damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Students will also mentor 5th and 6th grade students at the school as they learn about water quality testing, tree propagation, and transplanting skills.
Increasing Educational and Professional Opportunities for Special Education Students
Special Education
Pretrina Mullins
White Pass Junior Senior High School
Randle, Washington
Pretrina Mullins is dedicated to increasing opportunities, both educationally and professionally, for her special education students. Currently, her students participate in recycling programs throughout the school. Through project-based learning, White Pass Junior Senior High School students will explore the effects of recycling processes as well as identify the recycling process of paper products from the local acquisition of wood products to the potential uses of recycled products. Participation in scientific inquiry and firsthand investigations through field trips and activities are cornerstones of discourse and research leading to task analysis and written synopses. By focusing on environmental issues with reading and writing activities in English, Pretrina will provide her students with more enriched learning opportunities. She hopes students will develop a better understanding of conservation and the environmental impact of resource use on the local community and within the global community.
Initiating Community Change with a Global Concept
Environmental Science
Megan Fisk
Sanborn Regional High School
Kingston, New Hampshire
Megan Fisk knows that by making a project relevant to students, she will be able to increase the interest. This rural high school has seen increased forest clear cutting for development, and the subsequent loss of wildlife has impacted New England businesses. In this project, students will perform air, soil, and water quality tests on the streams and ponds in Kingston Lake State Park. To develop a plan aimed at reducing the school’s carbon emissions and energy use, the school building’s carbon footprint will be calculated, thereby providing an understanding of climate change and responsibility. Students will have the opportunity to explore a diverse set of issues, as well as the voice to initiate community change through their presentations and proposals to the Kingston Energy Committee.
Restoring a Campus Oak Savanna
Environmental Science
Abigail Cappel
Sylvania Southview High School
Sylvania, OH
Abigail Cappel will use the environmental science class to conduct field studies on a portion of the school property that is an oak savanna. Northwest Ohio has the greatest concentration of rare and endangered plants and animals in Ohio, and Paige believes it is important for students to understand human impacts on this fragile ecosystem. Grant funds would go to purchase lab equipment for outdoor testing of classroom concepts, and refurbishing a school greenhouse. Local naturalists and botanical gardens will serve as resources for the course, and students will grow native plants from seeds and transplant them to help restore the oak ecosystem on the school grounds. This course will spearhead the effort to add more environmental science courses to the high school’s offerings, including AP Environmental Science in the future.
Ninth Grade Integrated Science Course
Ecology/Environmental Science
James Fownes
Amherst Regional High School
Amherst, MA
By requiring all ninth graders to take a field-based Ecology/Environmental Science course that integrates Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology concepts, James Fownes hopes not only to build a strong foundation for future studies, but also to encourage more students of color to take the Honors Ecology/Environmental Science course as well as other Science and Math courses in later years.
Two main questions will be asked and answered by students in the year:
- How much carbon does the school forest store in one year?
- How much carbon is emitted by the school’s transportation use during a school year?
One Classroom, Every Student: An Outdoor Approach to Education
Environmental Science
Dianne Massey
Kent Meridian High School
Kent, Washington
Dianne Massey has dreamed of creating an outdoor classroom for all students at Kent Meridian High School. Her project-based learning course proposes giving students the ability to design and create their own schoolyard wildlife habitat and outdoor classroom in the courtyard of the high school. This outdoor classroom will have four plant gardens designed to attract hummingbirds, songbirds, and butterflies. This project provides the opportunity for what Dianne calls “on-campus field trips,” providing many students a dynamic natural setting to view the habitat. Once certified by the National Wildlife Federation, Dianne’s project will be the only native wildlife habitat and outdoor classroom in her district. Additional class topics include preserving biodiversity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and examining the effects of pollution.
Photo Point Monitoring
Technology
Scott Olson
Tonasket Alternative School
Tonasket, Washington
Nearly one-hundred years ago, the Sinlahekin Valley was a vibrant and diverse area, home to ranchers, miners, and farmers. Today, changing land use and wildlife suppression has drastically altered the landscape. Thankfully, photographer Frank S. Matsura began documenting the changing landscape in the early 1900’s. Scott Olson’s students have identified the three places Matsura stood when he took his photos. By engaging in their own photo point monitoring, Tonasket students will identify changes in the landscape by employing the technology of digital photography and GoogleEarth. Enhanced photo overlays will detail the specific landscape changes. With this information, students will research possible explanations for these changes over time, as well as conservation and restoration opportunities.
Zero Carbon Imprint Mini-Hydroponic Greenhouse
Computer Assisted Design
Richard Bettini
West Essex Regional High School
West Essex, New Jersey
Richard Bettini wants to turn an underutilized patio area at the school into a carbon neutral greenhouse for use by all classes. Pre-Engineering students in the Computer Assisted Design (Auto-CAD) course will design a greenhouse as a course assignment in groups. A jury process will determine a winning student design from which greenhouse will be built. The greenhouse will feature hydroponic technology – creating an ecologically viable closed system. A water catchment system will provide water for the plants, and solar panels will provide energy. Students will gather recycled materials to incorporate into the construction to minimize the carbon footprint of the greenhouse. Once completed, the greenhouse will be used by both Biology and Home Economic classes.
Professional Development Grants
Norah J. Betancourt
Science
Stanton College Preparatory
Jacksonville, FL
Norah Betancourt revitalized her school’s AP Environmental Science program into a senior science course that students can earn college credit for. By incorporating the social aspects of environmental science into her coursework, Norah and her students predict great success.
Molly Ferryman
Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Math
Crittenton Community School
Columbus, OH
Molly Ferryman will encourage her students to take a global view of the world and their environment, thereby facilitating environmentally conscious decisions in and out of the classroom. By focusing on hands-on learning, the attention will be brought to the students’ own community and the state of Ohio.
Patricia Eaton
Science
The Maritime Academy of Toledo
Toledo, OH
Patricia Eaton will develop new engaging and challenging lesson plans for her courses, integrating activities and local, relevant connections. She will share the knowledge and information with staff through an in-service to help fellow educators incorporate environmental literacy into their own classrooms.
Michel Estopinan
English
Hialeah Senior High School
Hialeah, FL
Incorporating environmental topics in his classes for English for speakers of foreign languages (ESOL) is a unique element of Michel Estopinan’s project. As part of his Humane School Initiative, Michel will address a wide range of regional topics.
Rebecca Koopman
Science
Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School
Englewood, CO
Rebecca Koopman will begin her pilot science course, “Inquiry,” in fall of 2008. Through her new way of teaching, she hopes to bring in critical local environmental issues into her classroom to stimulate problem-solving skills and innovative thinking.
Anthony Lucero
Science
Rawlins High School
Rawlins, WI
Rawlins is home to oil and natural gas reserves, which sparks topics in history class, but has not yet been addressed on the scientific level. Anthony Lucero hopes to get his school more aware and involved in environmental issues around their community through service-learning and community projects.
Pamela Malabad
Earth Science
Giles High School
Pearisburg, VA
Pamela Malabad will take her teaching one step further to make the material of her Earth Science courses more applicable and better integrated into her students’ education. Giles County relies on tourism and farming for much of its tax base, however, these industries have seen recent impacts from environmental changes. Pamela will help her students in understanding their role in a global community.
Yedda Sheller
Social Studies
Gibraltar High School
Fish Creek, WI
Yedda Sheller’s school is in the process of developing on outdoor classroom for the school, located in the neighboring Peninsula State Park. Yedda will use environmental education to empower her students to be responsible stewards.
Michael Sustin
Chemistry, Environmental Science
West Geauga High School
Chesterland, OH
As the only Environmental Science teacher in the school district, Michael Sustin hopes to become the resource professional that can guide students to find their own solutions to environmental issues while inspiring students to pursue careers and education in the environmental fields.
Diane Wespiser
Biology
Taconic High School
Pittsfield, MA
Diane Wespiser hopes to expand the interest level of the schools’ students, encouraging more of them to enroll in an environmental education course. Bringing attention to the now industrially developed areas that used to be farmland will stimulate students to think not only locally, but globally.