Category:

Environment

Teacher Lyndsey Collins’ hard work helps bring Lisa Jackson, EPA to Coretta Scott King YWLA

by talkupaps 1 Dec 2010

written by talkupaps

Environmentally conscious initiatives throughout Atlanta Public Schools continually receive national attention, so it wasn’t the biggest surprise to see Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa Jackson come to town as part of weeklong celebration of the EPA’s 40th anniversary. Still, teacher Lyndsey Collins had to be especially proud.

Collins is a science teacher for seventh-graders at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, which welcomed Jackson, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and other dignitaries in an event held Tuesday morning at the school. The event also helped underscore the EPA’s commitment to children’s health; the agency and the school also signed a Memorandum of Understanding, the first of its kind in the region.

1 Dec 2010 1 comment

Neighborhood Celebration: Check out Coan Middle School

by talkupaps 22 Sep 2010

written by talkupaps

It’s time to take another look at Atlanta Public Schools. This year, the focus of our second-annual Neighborhood Celebration will be southeast Atlanta schools that feed into Maynard H. Jackson High, which will host festivities on Oct. 2. Part pep rally part celebration, this event allows community members to see just a few of the exciting things happening in APS each day. To kick off the event, Talk Up APS will feature each school.

We start with Coan Middle School and its dynamic principal, Dr. Tonya Saunders, formerly of neighboring Toomer Elementary. Coan is one of several APS schools participating in the Confucius Institute, which promotes Mandarin Chinese language instruction and cultural appreciation. This unique program helps students prepare to compete in a global, 21st century economy. But Coan students also create lasting ties a little closer to home.

22 Sep 2010 0 comment

Brown Middle School students get organic with Communities In Schools of Atlanta

by talkupaps 2 Sep 2010

written by talkupaps

Students of Brown Middle School spent a portion of the afternoon Aug. 30 learning about organic farming from a team of staff members from Farmer D Organics and planting seedlings in what will become the school’s first student-run garden. Communities In Schools (CIS) of Atlanta selected Brown Middle School as one of two pilot sites for an exciting opportunity made possible through the Captain Planet Foundation.

A grant from the foundation is providing six raised plant beds; a variety of fall and winter seedlings and seeds; and a composter to the school. The garden project will be supervised by Kia Ginn-Siebie, Communities In Schools of Atlanta senior program coordinator at Brown, and will be maintained by Brown Middle School’s students. The faculty and staff of Brown will work closely with CIS of Atlanta, the students and parents of Brown Middle and the community to provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities, including an urban farmer’s market that will be marketed and operated by students.

2 Sep 2010 0 comment

Hutchinson Elementary unveils new science lab

by talkupaps 13 Aug 2010

written by talkupaps

Ask students at Hutchinson Elementary how the Grand Canyon was formed, and they may just offer hands-on demonstration. Thanks to support from a network of community partners that includes Horace Mann and Chick-Fil-A, the year-round school celebrated the opening of its first interactive science lab. Inside, students donning face masks and lined notebooks gathered around shallow containers of sand. A slow stream of water quickly created dips and craters similar to those that define the national landmark.

“We are grateful to our partners for helping us to create this science lab for the students,” said Hutchinson Principal Dr. Rebecca Dashiell-Mitchell, who noted that the school has 25 partners, including Communities In Schools. “When test time rolls around, our students will know the content because they’ve had hands-on activities,” she said.

13 Aug 2010 1 comment

Burgess-Peterson Academy opens its doors to East Atlanta

by talkupaps 9 Aug 2010

written by talkupaps

UPDATE: Check out the photo gallery here.

It may have been increasingly hot outside, but the students and parents of the East Atlanta neighborhood were having a cool time Saturday morning inside Burgess-Peterson Academy at the school’s Open House Community Day. The event, similar to many around APS this past weekend, served as an introduction for students and parents for their school. Burgess-Peterson turned this introduction into a showcase of the school and its surrounding neighborhood, inviting community partners to provide everything from health screenings and parent support organizations to karate demonstrations and dance performances.

Principal Robin Robbins emphasized the school’s deep commitment to its community partners throughout the day, and the parents definitely got the message. They not only are able to join the school’s PTA, led by Chris Hampton, but also can participate in the East Atlanta Parent Network (represented by Dennis Madsen), which works with all of the neighborhood’s schools. As noted in a recent Atlanta Educator article, East Atlanta is becoming increasingly diverse, and prospective parents are drawn to Burgess-Peterson’s community partnerships that appeal to parents who want a quality education for their children and believe in public schools.

The Open House Community Day was a great example of the school’s diversity. All of the school’s pre-K slots were filled, and the halls were filled with pre-K students and parents. The school also was able to showcase its award-winning wellness efforts that now featuring a federal grant to promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as a teaching garden on the edge of the forest in the back of the school grounds. Burgess-Peterson already has an edible garden in the courtyard and is a participant in the Be Water Wise Atlanta program.

The guests enjoyed a healthy karate demonstration from Sensei Frank Crawford at Life Martial Arts as well as dance performances from the nearby Journey Performing Arts Center, which will help partner on a dance program this year at the school. Community partners Lejoy Gifts and Floral Shop, ExecSpa, the East Lake YMCA’s PrimeTime AfterSchool and Children’s Heathcare of Atlanta (which provided the blood-pressure screenings) all set up booths inside the school. Blackwell Entertainment provided the music.

9 Aug 2010 0 comment

First in state hybrid school bus joins APS fleet

by talkupaps 15 Jul 2010

written by talkupaps

The first in the state hybrid school bus became part of the APS fleet of school buses that transports students to school July 14, the first day of classes for the district’s year-round schools. The Thomas Built Hybrid Saf-T-Liner C2 bus was used to transport students to and from Boyd Elementary School with students from the surrounding neighborhood.

15 Jul 2010 0 comment

Springdale Park Elementary honored by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission

by talkupaps 1 Jul 2010

written by talkupaps

Last year, Springdale Park Elementary opened as the first APS facility to seek LEED certification. This week, the Atlanta Urban Design Commission honored the elementary school during a ceremony at City Hall. The award recognizes buildings that promote the historic and cultural Atlanta experience, maintaining a natural balance between the two.

1 Jul 2010 0 comment

Target Field Trip Grant helps Burgess-Peterson students enjoy the butterflies at Callaway Gardens

by talkupaps 22 May 2010

written by talkupaps

Thanks to the generosity of the Target Field Trip Grant, 45 Burgess-Peterson Academy students and six teachers and parents enjoyed a wonderful day at Callaway Gardens on May 20. Coach Betty Jackson applied for and received a Target Field Trip Grant for $800 to take the Student Wellness Ambassadors, the Be Water Wise Atlanta and fourth-graders on a butterfly excursion.

This grant allowed the students to see what type of butterflies could visit their own butterfly garden in the school’s courtyard. The students were able to observe the butterfly emerge from its chrysalis and begin to walk. Once the butterflies started walking, they were released into the enclosed habitat and allowed to fly freely. The students giggled with glee as the butterflies flew over and around them and occasionally made a pit stop on the body. They watched the butterflies eat bananas and oranges as well as fly around the manicured garden of flowers and trees.

Students received a butterfly chart from the volunteers to help identify the different types of butterflies. The students at Burgess-Peterson Academy would like to thank Target for their generosity in making this trip happen.

22 May 2010 1 comment

Long Middle School studies global warming with hands-on, year-end project

by talkupaps 20 May 2010

written by talkupaps

You have to admire the students, faculty and staff of Long Middle School for not taking it easy for the remainder of the school year, as they focused on their third annual environmental project. The theme, “Evolving Environmentally,” allowed students create dioramas or eco-friendly structures that would support their research on the environment. Each class divided up into groups, with each group receiving a specific task that supports an element of the overall project. Each project included a PSA that would be broadcast school-wide.

20 May 2010 1 comment

Trees Atlanta partners with APS for Earth Day and beyond

by talkupaps 23 Apr 2010

written by talkupaps

For Earth Day, schools joined in on Trees Atlanta’s BeltLine Arboretum Education Program to go green and make their schools greener in the process. Students in environmental clubs from Grady High, Brown Middle, Tech High, Atlanta Charter Middle and KIPP Strive Academy are exploring Atlanta’s environment through many hands-on activities such as school bird counts, live animal programs, garden instillations and forest restoration service projects. This week especially, many of the BeltLine School Partners have joined Trees Atlanta and students to discuss, learn, and improve school grounds.

Many students are using the Atlanta Beltline as a learning laboratory, not just for nature study but for pure enjoyment, too. Students are starting photo-documentation projects to track the development of the BeltLine and all of its living components — like the arboretum. Many native plants are in flower, migrating birds are arriving, vegetables and fruits are growing, and several clean-ups are happening all week along the BeltLine and in neighborhoods.

This Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, join APS and Trees Atlanta at Brown Middle School to continue work on the Brown Middle Wildlife Triangle in West End. This property next to the BeltLine was restored by students last year and trail and grounds improvements are now needed. Support the outdoor classroom movement and help out! Tools, gloves, and training will be provided. For more information please contact Robby Astrove at robby@treesatlanta.org or (404) 681-4901.

23 Apr 2010 0 comment

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