Maryland Green School Application, March 2022

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COVER SHEET

SUMMARY

Sligo Middle School shares its name with Sligo Creek, which runs adjacent to the school. The school is located a few miles away from downtown Silver Spring. We have a diverse student body with approximately 30% of our students receiving Free and Reduced Lunch assistance.

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We began the process of becoming a Maryland Green School ten years ago. Prior to this time, teachers left lights on all day, did not recycle, and we had no gardens or sustainable practices. However, we began making numerous environmental changes and have continued to expand them over the years. We established an edible vegetable garden, a native plant garden, and a stormwater management garden. We initiated partnerships with the Audubon Naturalist Society GreenKids program (a Maryland Green Center) and Trout in the Classroom. We installed solar panels, conducted a recycling audit to improve practices, and established two outdoor classrooms. We empowered our students with enrichment programs such as the SERT Team, S’TEAM, and Invent the Future. The SERT Team of students now recycle weekly and promote energy conservation, reduction of water waste, composting, usage of green cleaners, and reduction of plastic. The Invent the Future program has enabled students to analyze environmental problems such as the over-usage of impervious surfaces and design physical models to solve the problems. We also established a Nature Club that explores the biodiversity of Sligo Creek watershed.

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As a result of our efforts to be green, we were awarded our first Maryland Green School certification in 2014 and first recertification in 2018, and we were recognized as a National Green Ribbon School in 2016. Environmental literacy and stewardship have continued to be a priority for our school throughout the pandemic, and we look forward to expanding our green school efforts as we continually strive to be a model for our community and prepare our students to be environmental champions.

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Top Five Accomplishments

• New Outdoor Classroom Established in 2021: We constructed a second outdoor classroom with all natural materials and students began working there in Fall 2021.
• Annual Composting Awareness Day led by Students: Every year, our SERT Team visits all the lunch tables to educate students and collect compostable waste for composting in our outdoor classroom bins.
• First Sligo Environmental Sustainability Summit held in January 2022 and Yearly Partnership with the Kid Museum: All of our sixth grade students participated in a virtual summit to present solutions to environmental problems facing our school. Additionally, each year, the Invent the Future Club learns computer coding, word-working, research, and engineering skills in order to create a prototype of a solution to an environmental problem.
• Annual Science Night with Environmental Presenters: We include numerous speakers and presenters on environmental topics at our annual Science Night, a huge event for our school community.
• Nature Club & SERT Team students caring for Sligo Creek: We started a new Nature Club and both our Nature Club and SERT Team regularly visit Sligo Creek to remove litter.

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Objective 1: Systemic Sustainability

In this section:

• 1.1: Environmental Issue Instruction
• 1.2: Professional Development
• 1.3: Sustainable Schools
• 1.4: Celebrations

Environmental Issue Instruction: Summary Slide

Grade 6: Outdoor Education, November 2018

A rite of passage at our school,all of our Grade 6 students participate each year in three days of the residential MCPS Outdoor Education where they they spend time outdoors studying predator-prey interactions, conducting stream studies, and challenging themselves on a confidence course.

Grade 6: Outdoor Education, April 2021

All of our sixth graders participated in virtual stream studies in 2021 and discussed ways to improve our watershed.

Grade 6: Solutions for Biomes, October 2021

Yearly, our sixth graders have researched and proposed solutions for biomes around the world. This helped students understand interdependence.

Grade 6: Trout in the Classroom, May 2019

The 2018-2019 school year was our fourth year of participating in Trout in the Classroom. Our entire sixth grade class was involved in caring for the trout during their science periods. A group of students traveled to Little Seneca Creek in May to release the trout. This program was paused the last few years because of the pandemic, but we look forward to participating again next school year.

Grade 7: Hydroponics, Fall 2021

All of our seventh grade students use hydroponics to investigate plant growth through this annual science unit. Photos from 2021.

Grade 7: Aquarium Field Trip

Seventh grade students enjoyed a field trip to the National Aquarium.

Grade 7: Outdoor Math Lessons, March 2019

Our seventh grade math classes took the learning outside for Pi Day in 2019!

Grade 8: Weather & Climate March 2019

8th Grade students learned about each process of the water cycle and its role in weather. They also made predictions about future Cherry Blossom peak dates and how Global Warming may impact the changing peak date of the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC.

Nature Club, 2019

Members of our Nature Club learned to kayak!

Members of our Nature Club educate others about the importance of native bees.

Professional Development: Whole Staff Awareness of Green School Application

Professional Development: Summary Slide of Teacher PD

Number of Classroom Teachers at School: 63

Number of Teachers with Environmental PD in last two years: 9

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Amy Cassagnol: Outdoor Environmental Education, 2019-2021

Inge Chichester: Outdoor Environmental Education, 2019

Teacher(s): �Date: Month, Day, Year�Brief Description of the PD: Include a few sentences describing the professional development.

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INSERT PHOTO of PD documentation:

(agenda, registration confirmation, name tag, certificate, etc.)

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Christopher Duplisea, Outdoor Education

Julie Benner, Outdoor Education

Robert Mitchell, Outdoor Education

Randy Gruber, NGSS Science

Mary Jo Fitzgerald, Chemistry of NItrogen Cycling

Nina Taylor Rubin, Integrating Earth and Space Science

Hibah Sayed, Elevating Science through 3-Dimensional Instruction

Systemic Partnership

Our administrators work closely with the MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance School Energy and Recycling (SERT) program, a certified Maryland Green Center and systemic partner in conservation for all MCPS schools. At right, we submit a SERT action plan at the beginning of each school year. We also work closely with MCPS Outdoor Environmental Education Programs (OEEP), also a Green Center, on staff training and planning the yearly residential program for our students.

Celebration: Summary Slide

The following section includes documentation for celebrations of our green school culture, including one annual whole school celebration (required):

Celebration: Annual Science Night with Environmental Focus, 2019

One of the biggest events for our school community is our Annual Science Night each March. As a Maryland Green School, we incorporate many environmental themes and speakers at each of these events. Photos from March 2019.

Celebration: Earth Day 2021

For Earth Day 2021, students cared for our outdoor classrooms, planted native plants, and … EXPLAIN

Celebration: Earth Day 2018

Describe plans for Earth Day 2022

Celebration: Earth Day 2019

Describe plans for Earth Day 2022

Celebration: Earth Day 2019

Describe plans for Earth Day 2022

Celebration: Earth Day 2021

Describe plans for Earth Day 2022

Celebration: Periodic 17 Year Cicada Emergence 2021

Objective 2: Student-Driven Sustainability Practices

Our students regularly conduct animal habitat evaluations on school grounds, along our neighboring Sligo Creek. Photos show our 6th grade students in August 2021.

OBJECTIVE 2: STUDENT-DRIVEN SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES (need 8)

(1) Removing Litter from Watershed, April 2021

Our students regularly conduct litter removals in neighboring Sligo Creek. Photos show our Earth Day litter removal in 2021.

(2) Composting Awareness Day, May 2019 and February 2022

Our SERT Team students lead an annual Composting Awareness Day to collect compostable waste from student lunches for composting to support our school gardens.

(2) Composting Awareness Day, May 2019 and February 2022

Our SERT Team students teach their pers about composting, collect fruit and vegetable waste from the cafeteria, and compost it for our school gardens. Photos from February 2022.

(3) Project Salt Watch

Students monitoring the health of Sligo Creek and partnering with Friends of Sligo Creek to help monitor and promote Montgomery county’s Winter Salt watch Initiative

(4) Monitoring Recycling Bins

Weekly, our SERT Team students recycle materials from classrooms, offices and the cafeteria, Photos from Oct. 2021

(5) Blue Bird Boxes

Nature Club students maintain and monitor bluebird boxes on our school campus. Photos from 2019, 2020, and 2022.

Binoculars donated by

Rec Extra

(6) Making Green Cleaners

SERT Team student made 24 green cleaners for our classrooms, March 2022.

(6) Water Safety and Reduction

SERT Team students have assumed a morning schedule of flushing the water fountains for a few seconds each day, in order to eliminate contaminants that build up in metal pipes overnight. March 2022.

Students and staff bring their water bottles to school and use the filtered water filling stations. March 2022.

(7) Working in Outdoor Classrooms

Our students regularly work outdoors in our two outdoor classrooms. Photos from 2019.

New outdoor classroom built in 2020!

(8) Growing Food in School Gardens

(8b) Removal if Nonnative invasive plants and replacing them with native plants to support native pollinators.

(9) Student-led Sustainability Projects

(9) Student-led Sustainability Projects

Objective 3: Community Partnerships & Awards

In this section:

3.1: Partners

3.2: Awards and Special Recognition

3.1: Partner Active in the School: Audubon Naturalist Society, since 2014

3.1: Partner Active in the School: Friends of Sligo Creek and One Montgomery Green

Partnered with One Montgomery Green as part of their Clean Headwaters program.

Are there microplastics in Sligo Creek?

Students created an action plan based on their research. (Spring 2019 and Summer 2021)

3.1: Partnership with the Parent and Residential Community

Saturday, April 28, 2018, Sligo Middle School’s Community Beautification Day. Parents of students and residents in the community weeded, painted, and planted native plants in the front of the school.

3.1: Partnership with the Kid Museum for the Invent the Future Project

Every year, students follow the engineering design cycle to create a prototype of a solution to an environmental problem by answering the guiding question, “What will you make to save planet Earth?” Photos from May 2018 and 2019

3.1: Partnership with the Kid Museum for the Invent the Future Project

Every year, students follow the engineering design cycle to create a prototype of a solution to an environmental problem by answering the guiding question, “What will you make to save planet Earth?” Photos from May 2018 and 2019

AWARDS: We have been a proud National Green Ribbon School since 2016

AWARDS: Kid Museum, Invent The Future awards over the years

2018

Award

2019

Award

2021

Award

AWARDS: SERT Awards over the years

Award Title: SERT Awards�Date: (SY2017 -SY2020)�Grade: 6, 7, 8�

Brief Description of Award and/or Recognition: Sligo MS has consistently earned awards in energy conservation in the last four years. After school student club’s continued efforts, has reduced electrical consumption and increased recycling rates.

***No awards given out during Covid (2020-2022).

THANK YOU!

Thank you to members of the Maryland Green School review committee. Sligo Middle School appreciates your organization for elevating the consciousness of school communities to implement environmentally responsible practices.

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We thank Diane Lill and Brenna Houck from the Audubon Naturalist Society, Jim Stufft and Giancarlo Rodriguez from MCPS for guiding the recertification process. Moreover, we thank the Sligo Middle School students and staff members for making a difference each and everyday and serving as environmental leaders. Go Green!

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