Water Conservation/Pollution Prevention:
Utilizing the Student Service Learning Project for 6th grade, all students in 6th grade completed science class assignments based on field walks on our campus. Field walks occur every Fall with all ten 6th grade science classes at TVMS. Students get outside two times for observations with their clipboards. The field walks educated students about erosion and then helped them understand the erosion control methods utilized at our school.
Field Walk 1 Samples
Field Walk 2 Samples
Energy Conservation:
The Green Team is a group of students that met after school to raise awareness and support the Green initiatives at TVMS. The students decided to grade classrooms based on their recycling and energy conservation. The note below was written by students and sent out to the staff to inform classes what Green initiative the Green Team would be looking for.
The students would then go through a classroom and look for classrooms that were recycling and conserving energy. The grading sheet below was left as a note to the classroom and teacher with suggestions on how to improve the classrooms energy conservation.
Responses from Staff:
- “I always turn off my projector and doc camera every night. I try to remember to unplug my A/V equipment over the weekend, but it does not always happen. I also unplug my charger when my computer is not charging to reduce vampire energy. I usually keep my lights on low and open my shades to let natural light into the room to save electricity.” Kevin Weaver
- “Over long weekends/breaks I unplug the devices in my AV cabinet. When not needed, I use the mute button on my projector to make the screen black. I usually have my lights off and use the natural light from the windows when possible.” Alexandra Weyforth
Habitat Restoration:
Creating and Maintaining Structures for Environmental Learning:
Garden Design Club
In early December of 2015, Students in all grades were assigned the task of designing the space directly behind our school for a garden that would be completed by future students to TVMS. Science teachers in all grades distributed the challenge sheets and collected the results prior to winter break. After we returned from winter break we took time as a Green Committee to review all of the designs and pick about 20 to show to our Principal. After our principal reviewed the designs a Green Committee meeting occurred where we judged and voted for the top 3 designs. The students chosen as the top three would then become the leaders for the Garden Design Club which was chaired by Mr. Stimmel (6th grade science teacher). The students then worked on flyers to expand the club and also met once a week to plan for the Green Field Day where we could implement a portion of the design. Students met with Jay Barnard from facilities to run their ideas by him, prior to our green field day. Students also worked on pricing plant material, measuring outdoor spaces, and they used mulch calculators to estimate the amount of mulch that would be required for rain gardens and future walkways within the Garden Design. The existing outdoor classroom was also improved with fresh mulch and students took time to level the tables which had shifted during the winter months. The outdoor classroom space was added to TVMS by facilities during the summer of 2015. The space has been utilized for fair weather activities by many staff and students during the spring and fall months. Students in the Garden Design club look forward to installing a butterfly garden next to our outdoor classroom during Green Field Day 2017.