Systemic Sustainability
Environmental Curriculum and Instruction
1.1 Curriculum and Instruction
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).
All lessons and samples are located on file.
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 your school's Green School status and application process.
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.
Teachers were asked varying questions about their classroom atmosphere, lessons, and varying data. Teachers were also given an opportunity for professional development.
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..
SAFE SCHOOLS Energy Conservation -21 Outdoorist Oath PD-1
Evidence of Teachers, description of professional development.
1.2.2 Professional Development (15.58 KB)
List of professional development activities
1.2.2 Evidence of PD (1.25 MB)
certificates
Outdoorist Oath Workshop
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.
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.
1.3.1 Sustainable School- School-Wide Environmental Behavior Changes (Non-student driven) (2.43 MB)
Evidence of Environmental Behavior Changes
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
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
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
Students have repurposed tables and couches found in dumpsters to keep them out of the landfill and give them a little more use.
2.3 Solid Waste Reduction E (657.02 KB)
Pictures of furniture that were restored by students.
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.
2.3 Solid Waste Reduction A (1.63 MB)
Pictures of students collecting weekly recycling at THS.
Towson High is now part of the pilot program for BCPS and is now composting all lunches!
2.3 Solid Waste Reduction B (652.37 KB)
Composting Evidence
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.
2.3 Solid Waste Reduction C (594.85 KB)
pictures from stuffed toy drive
NEHS collected books to donate to the Maryland Food Bank to be distributed to those in need.
2.3 Solid Waste Reduction D (1.18 MB)
pictures from collection
2.4 Habitat Restoration
2.4 Habitat Restoration
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.
2.4 Habitat Restoration A (5.35 MB)
Evidence of restoration of greenhouse and garden beds.
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.
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
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.
2.5 Structures for Environmental Learning (1.26 MB)
examples of greenhouse use
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.
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
THS students worked with Maryland Department of Environment at the Rethink Recycling event. 2017-2022 (2020 exempt)
2.8 Citizen-Community Science-3 (5.16 MB)
pictures from the event
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.
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
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.
2.8 Citizen-Community Science-3 (5.16 MB)
description and pictures
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.
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.
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)
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.
Urban Garden Grant from the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation
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.
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes Honoree- Student Reed Spaulding
Governor’s Service Award Youth Winner- Student Reed Spaulding
Green60 Winner
Rethink Recycling Participant
3.3 Awards & Special Recognition (4.74 MB)
Evidence, photos of awards and certificates.