Art teacher Karen Kotapish and students with their upcycled-art installation
Rodgers Forge Elementary School has been certified as a “green school” by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education.
It won the designation in part because of its emphasis on the school’s makerspace area — that’s where students and staff bring in materials such as the cardboard rolls inside toilet paper or old milk cartons and students use them to design and build new creations. The school also has a new outdoor classroom area where teachers can take students to dive more deeply into environmental lessons, said Sam Lenox, a fourth-grade teacher who, along with teacher Cathy Rickels, is a green coordinator for the school.
“The students are extremely excited, and I am very proud because this was an initiative brought to me by teachers and by students,” said Principal Missy Fanshaw. “When visitors ask students what they’re most proud of — even prior to becoming certified — they’d say ‘We are proud to be green.'”
RFES students planting a tree behind the school
Along with a host of other green initiatives, students recently planted native trees in the glen behind the school, in partnership with Blue Water Baltimore. Each one has a small metal sign that names the type of tree and the class that planted it.
Other schools also received the recognition:
Maryland Green Schools – New Certification
- Edgemere Elementary School
- Kenwood High School
- Milbrook Elementary School
- Parkville Middle School
- Perry Hall Middle School
- Pikesville Middle School
- Pine Grove Elementary School
- Ridge Ruxton School
Maryland Green Schools – Sustainable*
- Berkshire Elementary School
- Glyndon Elementary School
- Hillcrest Elementary School
Maryland Green Schools – First Recertification
- Arbutus Middle School
- Catonsville Elementary School
- Riderwood Elementary School
*Sustainable status signifies a long-term, school-wide dedication to sustainable environmental management practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development opportunities, and community engagement.