Systemic Sustainability

Environmental Curriculum and Instruction

1.1 Activities

Elementary & middle schools must provide one example of outdoor/environmental instruction per grade level.

High schools must provide one example of outdoor/environmental instruction in four subjects (which may include multiple different differents sciences).

Grades
Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12
Class Name (3rd grade science, AP Biology)
Date
Thu, 16 Mar 2023
Lesson / Activity
Listed on File
Teacher Name
Listed on File
Students Count
30
Activity Description

All lessons and samples are located on file.

Other Files

1.1 Environmental Instruction (18.92 KB)

List of all teachers and descriptions

1.1. Student Samples (4.96 MB)

Samples of students from all lessons describe in previous document.

1.2 Green School Awareness

1.2.1 School Wide Awareness - Staff

Demonstrate that all school personnel are aware of the Green School status of your school and the application process.

Summary Description

Staff was notified of Green School status and need for recertification via email. Staff was asked to fill out an online Form to determine some of the actions taking place by the staff along with an opportunity for professional development.

Date
Fri, 10 Mar 2023
Staff in Attendance
43
Meeting Description

Teachers were asked varying questions about their classroom atmosphere, lessons, and varying data. Teachers were also given an opportunity for professional development.

Other Files

1.2.1 School Wide Awareness of Green School Certification (130.46 KB)

A list of emails sent to staff.

Environmental Professional Development for Teachers

1.3.1 Environmental Professional Development for Teachers

Demonstrate that 10% of staff have completed an environmental PD. Instructional staff is defined as any staff that manages a gradebook.

  • New Schools must have all PD completed within the past 2 academic years.
  • Renewing schools must have all PD completed within the past 4 academic years.

A teacher who has participated in multiple workshops may only be counted once..

Summary Description

SAFE SCHOOLS Energy Conservation -21 Outdoorist Oath PD-1

Number of Teachers
22
Date
Thu, 16 Mar 2023
Teacher
All teachers attached- Josh Marx
Development Description

Evidence of Teachers, description of professional development.

Other Files

1.2.2 Professional Development (15.58 KB)

List of professional development activities

1.2.2 Evidence of PD (1.25 MB)

certificates

Date
Thu, 9 Feb 2023
Teacher
Bissemeyer
Development Description

Outdoorist Oath Workshop

Other Files

1.2.2 Professional Development B (477.51 KB)

Evidence of Outdoorist Oath workshop

1.4 Achieving Sustainable Schools

1.4.1 School-Wide Staff Sustainability

Demonstrate the sustainability practices your teachers, staff, and other personnel have implemented school-wide to make your school green. Any actions involving students belong under Objective 2.

Behavior Change

Incandescent to LED light bulbs Front and back copying and 4 copies on 1 piece of paper Motion activated lights in classrooms Electronic newsletter Large documents shared virtually to students to avoid printing and copying. Teachers using daylight lighting instead of fluorescent lights.

Other Files

Student Action

Schools must document at least Four that address at least three of the listed sustainability practices.

These are student actions not adult actions. Adult sustainable actions can be documented in Objective 1.4.

2.1 Water Conservation/Pollution Prevention

2.1 Water Conservation/Pollution Prevention

Date
Tue, 15 Mar 2022
Activity title
Water Conservation
Activity Description

Campus and community litter pick ups- Protect and prevent trash from ending up in the stream. Rain Barrel installation- 55 gallon Stream Clean ups Earth Day Litter Clean up Challenge- Protect and prevent trash from ending up in the stream. Aquaponics installation in greenhouse Tributary festival- running a music festival that benefits Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Other Files

2.1 Water Conservation-Pollution Prevention (2.49 MB)

Descriptions, dates, photos of all the Water Conservation/Pollution Prevention measures at THS.

2.1 Litter Clean up (12.4 KB)

A list of attendance from a year long weekly cleanups in the community.

2.2 Energy Conservation

2.2 Energy Conservation

No records were added by the school.

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction

Date
Tue, 22 Nov 2022
Activity title
Furniture Restoration
Activity Description

Students have repurposed tables and couches found in dumpsters to keep them out of the landfill and give them a little more use.

Other Files

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction E (657.02 KB)

Pictures of furniture that were restored by students.

Date
Tue, 13 Sep 2022
Activity title
Weekly Recycling
Activity Description

Environmental Students go around to the copy room and classrooms to collect recycling weekly. SY 2022-2023 every school Tuesday. Students made the sign up sheet and keeps track of who does the recycling and have made announcements and posters.

Other Files

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction A (1.63 MB)

Pictures of students collecting weekly recycling at THS.

Date
Mon, 12 Sep 2022
Activity title
School-wide Composting
Activity Description

Towson High is now part of the pilot program for BCPS and is now composting all lunches!

Other Files

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction B (652.37 KB)

Composting Evidence

Date
Tue, 7 Dec 2021
Activity title
Stuffed Animal Drive
Activity Description

Students in THS Key Club collected stuffed animals from THS students and the community to eliminate landfill waste and to donate to those in need.

Other Files

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction C (594.85 KB)

pictures from stuffed toy drive

Date
Wed, 1 Mar 2023
Activity title
Book donation
Activity Description

NEHS collected books to donate to the Maryland Food Bank to be distributed to those in need.

Other Files

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction D (1.18 MB)

pictures from collection

2.4 Habitat Restoration

2.4 Habitat Restoration

Date
Wed, 8 Sep 2021
Activity title
Greenhouse and surrounding garden beds
Activity Description

The Greenhouse was not being used post-covid and the surrounding gardenbeds had not been weeded. Students have worked tirelessly through SY2021-2022 and SY2022-2023 to use grow natives in the greenhouse and for planting natives around the greenhouse.

Other Files

2.4 Habitat Restoration A (5.35 MB)

Evidence of restoration of greenhouse and garden beds.

Date
Tue, 26 Apr 2022
Activity title
MD Native Memorial Garden
Activity Description

Students created a Maryland Native Garden Flower bed by digging up the sod, planning and picking out natives to buy from Herring Run Nursery sponsored by CBF and planting/caretaking.

Other Files

2.4 Habitat Restoration B (1.26 MB)

Memorial Garden-16 Maryland Natives purchased by grant and planted

2.5 Opportunities for Nature Exploration

2.5 Opportunities for Nature Exploration

Date
Thu, 1 Sep 2022
Activity title
Greenhouse and Native Garden
Activity Description

Students have been working to grow natives, install aquaponics, establish a milkweed nursery, and grow vegetables from seeds. Classes visit to check out happenings and to learn about the rain barrel outside of the greenhouse and practice native flower identification.

Other Files

2.5 Structures for Environmental Learning (1.26 MB)

examples of greenhouse use

Date
Tue, 12 Apr 2022
Activity title
Memorial Native Garden
Activity Description

Classes visit the memorial native garden planted by THS environmental club to work on identification of native flowers and why native species are so important for ecosystems.

Other Files

2.5 Structures for Environmental Learning (1.26 MB)

pictures from the native memorial garden

2.6 Responsible Transportation

2.6 Responsible Transportation

No records were added by the school.

2.7 Healthy Indoor Environments

2.7 Healthy Indoor Environments

No records were added by the school.

2.8 Citzen/Community/Participatory Science

2.8 Citizen/Community/Participatory Science

Date
Mon, 7 Nov 2022
Activity title
Rethink Recycling
Activity Description

THS students worked with Maryland Department of Environment at the Rethink Recycling event. 2017-2022 (2020 exempt)

Other Files

2.8 Citizen-Community Science-3 (5.16 MB)

pictures from the event

Date
Mon, 4 Jun 2018
Activity title
Herring Run Watershed
Activity Description

Students created action plans to help mitigate flooding in the Herring Run watershed. They met with Six Bridge Trail Projects chairperson- David Riley and presented their plans to David Marks (councilman). Students submitted their plans to local government for consideration.

Other Files

2.8 Citizen-Community Science-3 (5.16 MB)

evidence and descriptions

2.8a Student Sample Action Plan (1.9 MB)

student action plan

2.8b Student Sample Action Plan (41.1 MB)

student action plan

Date
Mon, 11 Apr 2022
Activity title
Trader Joe's
Activity Description

Students were donated paper bags from our local Trader Joe's. Students decorated the bags with Earth Day messages and returned to Trader Joe's where they were given out to the community for advocacy.

Other Files

2.8 Citizen-Community Science-3 (5.16 MB)

description and pictures

Date
Mon, 9 Jan 2023
Activity title
Postcards for Composting
Activity Description

Students at THS wrote over 400 postcards to Governor Moore to encourage him to sign off on the public school funding of state-wide composting.

Other Files

2.8 Citizen-Community Science-3 (5.16 MB)

sample student postcards

Community Partnership

Demonstrate that your school is forming long-term partnerships to foster environmental stewardship and cultivate community wellness through real-world connections.

3.1 Community Partnerships

3.1.1 School Active in Community

Describe at least one environmentally-focused partnership in which your school is working to benefit your community.

Date
Thu, 16 Mar 2023
Partner name
Community Partnerships
Activity Description

Tributary Festival: Sponsors at Festival: MDNR, Lights Out Baltimore, Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Lutherville Rock School, Stage’s Music Arts, SECU, Planit Agencies, BEL Law, Neighborhood Solar, Tradepoint Atlantic, PRS Guitars

Herring Run Watershed Action Plans -David Riley (Six Bridge Trail Project Chairperson- THS Community) David Marks (Baltimore County Councilman)

Other Files

3.1 School active in the community (15.1 KB)

Descriptions, dates, photos of school activities in the community at THS.

3.1.2 Community Active in the School

Describe at least one partnership in which a community partner is benefitting the school. These actions and projects occur on or near school grounds with support from the partner.

Date
Thu, 16 Mar 2023
Partner name
MAEF Urban Grant
Activity Description

Urban Garden Grant from the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation

Other Files

3.2 Partner active in the school (714.63 KB)

Descriptions, dates, photos of Grant information.

3.2 Additional Achievements

3.2 Additional Achievements optional

Share any environmentally-related awards, special recognition, certifications, or other achievements that your school, staff or students have accomplished.

Date
Thu, 16 Mar 2023
Title of award
See Description
Activity Description

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes Honoree- Student Reed Spaulding

Governor’s Service Award Youth Winner- Student Reed Spaulding

Green60 Winner

Rethink Recycling Participant

Other Files

3.3 Awards & Special Recognition (4.74 MB)

Evidence, photos of awards and certificates.