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Schools

Logan Elementary Goes Green and Builds Community

Logan Elementary School earned Maryland Green School certification in 2010. This is the last in a series highlighting local efforts at all seven Dundalk-area Green Schools by Patch writer Timothy Dunn, links to which can be found below.

Earning Maryland Green School certification is hard work. It’s not just about completing the application process, it’s about changing habits. In order to do that, the first step is often getting parents, teachers, staff and students on board with the idea.

At Logan Elementary School, which earned Maryland Green School certification in 2010, a committee of five teachers decided the best way to get everyone on board was with a unique contest. The school held a T-shirt design contest in which students submitted ideas for designs that promoted Logan Elementary’s green future.

Following a student vote, the winning design was then used on a T-shirt sold to students, teachers and parents.

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With their T-shirts on, the school got to work with making Logan a greener place to learn. One of the first activities the school tackled was the collection of gently used household items, which were “sold” to students during the holidays. Instead of using cash to pay for the items, students paid using credit earned for good behavior. This clever approach to promoting reuse was just the beginning.

With the help of a $1,500 grant from Lowes Home Improvement, the school created a butterfly garden on the campus. According to Rachel Dembeck, a teacher at Logan, every grade level contributed to the garden through planting and maintenance.

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Recycling was also a key element of Logan Elementary’s green efforts. Students from the third grade take care of collecting recyclables from classrooms and common areas and delivering them to the dumpster. Additionally, the school recycles ink cartridges and cell phones.

According to Dembeck, it’s the level of student involvement that made Logan a successful Maryland Green School.

“The students have really taken ownership,” Dembeck said. “They watch the teachers and other students to make sure everyone is recycling as much as possible. If they see a student or teacher about to throw paper in the trash, they will stop them.”

With the certification in hand, the green committee moved forward with efforts to continue and expand upon what they accomplished last year. In 2011, the green committee expanded into a “Green Club” that includes more than 20 students. The club meets once per month and takes on a different project each time, whether it's weeding the gardens on campus or working to improve the recycling program.

Logan has also received great support from the community. In addition to the Lowes grant, Logan had The Greening of Dundalk aid in planting a garden in front of the school. Honeywell sponsored activities conducted with the Living Classrooms program, including field trips and in-school speakers.

Dundalk Elementary even helped out by allowing Logan’s green committee to borrow their Maryland Green School application for ideas.

Dembeck said that bringing all of these groups together was one of the highlights of the certification process.

“The most rewarding aspect of the process was finally seeing, after all the time and effort, everyone joining in and participating,” Dembeck said. “At first it took some work to get everyone on board.”

Another activity the school has taken on this year has been an aluminum can drive. The money generated from collecting the cans will be donated to the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

With everything the team at Logan Elementary does, the focus is on being green while promoting other worthwhile, community-based activities.

According to Dembeck, Logan Elementary definitely plans to apply for recertification in 2014. That gives them three years to see just how green they can get, and how much more they can do for the surrounding community. It’s going to be an exciting process for students, parents and community to watch and take part.

The Maryland Green School Awards Program is a unique approach to environmental learning that rewards schools for teaching about environmental issues while incorporating opportunities for professional development, community stewardship, and implementation of environmental best practices.

The program is administered by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). Schools applying for Maryland Green School certification are required to document environmental activities over a two-year period. Currently, Dundalk is home to seven certified Maryland Green Schools.

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