GREENSBORO — The Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education awarded Greensboro Elementary School with the Green School Award for its environmental work.
A Maryland Green School demonstrates a continuous effort to integrate sustainable environmental practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development and community engagement into the culture of the school. Green School certification signifies a school has made a commitment to developing stewards of the earth and reducing environmental impact.
The Maryland Green Schools Program is nationally recognized program that was started in 1999. Today, there are more than 582 Green Schools certified in Maryland, more than 25 percent of all Maryland schools.
“The Maryland Green Schools program provides a framework for creating sustainable environmental structures at school, home and in the community,” MAEOE Executive Director Laura Johnson Collard said. “The Maryland Green Schools program has encouraged children to become stewards of Maryland’s environmental resources.
Students are involved in projects that save energy and reduce waste,” she said. “We encourage teachers use the outdoors as an extension of the classroom.”
MAEOE presented Greensboro Elementary along with 57 other schools the Green School Award at the at the Maryland Green Schools Youth Summit Thursday, May 18, at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis.
Greensboro Elementary began its Earth Day program 25 years ago under the direction of the late Suzanne Wells, a fourth grade teacher at the school. Now retired teachers Mary Lou Riddleberger, Suze Chaffinch and Edna Talley assisted Wells with the initial program.
Today, the program is run by first grade teacher Tammy Quidas in association with the school’s new Green Hornet Club.
“We honored to receive the award,” Quidas said. “This award is for Suzanne Wells, who started our Earth Day, and Mary Lou Riddleberger, Suze Chaffinch and Edna Talley who helped Suzanne. They are the reason we have this great program. We are honored to continue the great works they started.”
The students celebrated its 25th Earth Day on Friday, April 21, with fifth graders working with Wetlands on Wheels, which was provided by Environmental Concerns. Fourth graders students walked through Enviroland, which is a Delmarva Bay wetland area, for a guided tour. Third graders grade learned from the Caroline County Garden Club.
Pre-K, kindergarten, first and second graders had the opportunity to make origami butterflies, visit the Fishmobile from Phillips Wharf, visit miniature therapy horses from Hidden Haven Rescue and see presentations from the Tuckahoe Park rangers and Adkins Arboretum. Throughout the day, students weeded, planted and mulched areas around the school. Some students even took out trash bags to pick up litter around the school.
Quidas said the Green Hornets Club does recycling with Benedictine School, and has a focus on preventing wasting paper towels.
“The custodians say bathrooms are cleaner now,” Quidas said. “We want students to get outside, start getting them to clean up the area.
“They are really becoming stewards of the planet,” she said. “We notice an increase of recycling of papers and plastics. They realize that this is not only their school but they are taking it home.”
At the May 17 banquet, North Caroline High School, which is a Maryland Green School, made a presentation about the school’s environmental work.
“It is pretty exciting to see the high school level doing the environmental work and receiving recognition,” Quidas said. “Students at North Caroline came through Greensboro Elementary so it is awesome to see them carry things they learned here to the high school level.”
Greensboro Elementary thanks Amy Shepler at the Caroline County Public Schools central office for helping to build a website highlighting the school’s Earth Day; Greensboro Lions Club; Caroline County Garden Club; Tuckahoe State Park Rangers; Hidden Haven Rescue; Mr. Kampmeyer from the Maryland Department of the Environment; Mr. Smith who is a volunteer; Phillips Wharf; Environmental Concern; Adkins Arboretum; Vasquez Landscaping for donating the mulch; and Stu and Linda Margrey from Bell Nursery who supply to Home Depot for the donation of flowers.
For more on Greensboro Elementary School’s Green School Award, visit http://gesgreenschool.weebly.com to view the school’s application.
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