Community Partnerships
It Takes a village to build a garden
Starting in spring of 2013, one of our staff memebers (Erica Glass) worked indefatigably, to organize a courtyard renovation. In September of 2013, about 50 members of the Bollman Bridge community, (past and present, students and their families, staff members and their families), all gathered to dig, clean, build, and plant. We removed invasive species, weeded, built new garden boxes, filled them with soil, and planted. We replaced the butterfly bushes with bulbs and Black-Eyed Susans. We planted vegetables in the garden boxes and created signs so the community could enjoy the growth. We cleaned out the entire courtyard so that students and staff members now have a usable learning space and outdoor calm space. We used donations of truck usage, tools, and soil from the company (Michael Baker Corporation) of a staff member's spouse.. It was an inspiring gathering of energy and environmental devotion that created a beautiful gift of space and garden vegetables for the community to enjoy. This experience is a vision of what the Green School movement is meant to be at Bollman Bridge.
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Master gardeners
WORMS, COMPOSTING, BUTTERFLIES AND GARDENING!
For a number of years, the Master Gardeners have been making yearly presentations to the second grade students and teachers emphasizing the value and ease of composting, gardening and caring for the environment. They work on worm composting, growing butterflies and learning about native plants needed for environmental health, and about growing personal gardens, window or in-ground. October and May 2010-present |
FIFTH GRADE SURVEY
Each spring, a group of Howard County Master Gardeners takes the entire 5th grade in groups to survey the health of the Bollman Bridge School campus. The Master Gardeners, students, and teachers checked what needed to be more green. They learned about rain gardens, invasive species, soil health, and construction disruption. One of the things the Gardeners said was that we need to change the number of trees. We need more trees! We need to save the earth! We need to go green! -Marissa, 5th grade |
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CAN YOU GUIDE US?
The students asked for help from Master Gardeners in order to prepare for our garden build (see above). 3rd graders wrote letters asking for the Master Gardeners help with particular concerns including: where we would place rain barrels, if a rain barrel might help us water our new garden, what invasive species needed to be removed and what concerns we might have in preparing our garden and our future outdoor classroom in the courtyard. In the summer of 2013, Barbara Schmeckpepper (one of the Master Gardeners most familiar with our school and our community) visited and gave us vital preparation advice. |
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Seven Gyres
Sarah Close, a member of Seven Gyres and daughter of a staff member, spoke with our 2nd grade Green Team members about the importance of reducing our use of plastic. Ms. Close shared the work of her company who studied the collection of our world's trash into gyres in the oceans. She also shared that the gyres will eventually release the trash. SO, if we stop adding garbage and start the trend towards collecting, we can reverse our damage.
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Grace community church
Bollman Bridge PTA
Our Bollman Bridge PTA has consistently supported the efforts of our green initiatives in a variety of ways. PTA members serve on our Green Schools Leadership Team, meeting twice per month starting in late 2012. PTA members were in charge of collecting gardening supplies for our graden build. The PTA is currently running a donation campaign which has BBES campus plantings as one of its primary goals. The PTA supports the environmental professional development of our staff members. The PTA has supported and continues to be instrumental in the environmental initiatives at Bollman Bridge. The PTA is currently running a fund drive to plant more large trees.
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NEWSLETTER THROUGH THE AIR In the spring of 2013, staff members, administration and members of Bollman Bridge PTA decided to create a collaborative newsletter sent by email. After a few months of deciding what the goals, format, and collaboration method should be, the first newsletter was sent out to our community the week before school started in August of 2013. Every week, the school sends out a newsletter with the goals of celebrating education and connecting resources with needs. The newsletter celebrates all sorts of joys in our world, from green events to the winners of the spelling bee to music recitals. While some members of our community do need printed copies of the newsletter, only 72 printed copies are made each week in our community of 650 students. And, staff members now have easy access to the news of the community as well. |
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LET'S PLANT VEGGIES WITH THE PTA! In the fall of 2013, the Bollman Bridge PTA hosted a window-garden planting gathering. They invited students and families to bring their own pots and all else was provided. Students planted lettuces and herbs to take home. |
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Terrapin Adventures
SALVAGE SAVAGE!
Every April, a local adventure company, Terrapin Adventures, hosts a community clean-up day. Our students and community members have historically participated and enjoyed their free zip-line day at Terrapin Adventures. This year, a member of both our PTA and Green School Leadership Team has organized a combined effort of Bollman Bridge and Terrapin Adventures. The members of Bollman Bridge community will work to pick up garbage from the school to the nearby adventure site. We will support Terrapin Adventures' activity and broaden its impact. Terrapin Adventures is a particularly important partner as the proximity is such that any work we do together quickly impacts both of our organizations! |
terracycle
Bollman Bridge's Green Team talks a lot about the differences between Terracycling and recycling. Terracycling is discarding plastic chips bags and juice pouches into a special bin. The Terracycle company accumulates them and turns them into benches and pencil pouches. Terracycling is a way to up-cycle. On the other hand, recycling is dissolving the whole thing and making it into something new. At lunch, everyone should Terracycle and recycle.
-Mang Za, 5th grade |