23 Apr TEECS on WMBC TV
The Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School was excited to celebrate Earth Day this year.
During the day today, April 22nd, the faculty and students spent the day recognizing the importance of the planet and living a healthy lifestyle. Activities included:
School-wide
– Reducing our use of plastic by having the cafeteria serve lunch with compostable sporks instead of plastic utensils
– Planting a cherry tree that was donated by the Abey family to the Green Team & Environmental Alliance Club
– Planting an apple tree that the Green Team purchased
– Installing “No Littering” signs on the school property
– Recognizing the families that have made significant contributions to our Green Team including the Batour family for donating a homemade garden bench and the Abey family for donating TEECS’s first living wall.
Elementary School
– Tie dying old shirts and picking up trash around the school or neighborhood (if students are virtual) in K-2 classes
– Researching the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and Oil Spills in 5th grade science class. They conducted an experiment to mimic an oil spill in our beautiful ocean and researched and devised ideas to clean it up.
Middle School
– setting up the Middle School science Grow Dome for growing plants indoors
– participating in NASA’s GLOBE Program – Pedosphere: Soil Moisture and Gravimetric. Middle School students have an exciting educational opportunity to measure soil water content by comparing the wet and dry masses of samples right from our school property. They are being led by Mrs. Jignasha Patel, TEECS’ MS Science Teacher and certified GLOBE Eco School Teacher. The program, Pedosphere: Soil Moisture and Gravimetric, will include data collection of soil temperature, moisture, and chemical properties that is invaluable to scientists in many fields:
- soil scientists use the data to better understand their potential for plant growth
- hydrologists use the data to determine potential sedimentation in water bodies
- meteorologists and climatologists use soil data in weather and climate prediction models as soils can affect humidity and air temperature
- biologists use soil data to understand its potential for supporting plant and animal life
- anthropologists study the soil in order to reconstruct the human history of an area
High School
– Participating in Earth Day integrated lessons in High school and the Dual Enrollment RVCC Environmental Science Academy