'Go green'
The College School helps UD celebrate Sustainability Day
11:48 a.m., Oct. 31, 2011--“Don’t be mean. Go green.” That’s the slogan Nathaniel, a fourth grader from The College School (TCS) used for his poster at UD’s Campus Sustainability Day.
Held Oct. 26 on The Green, Sustainability Day showcased the efforts underway at UD to create a sustainable environment, while demonstrating how others could get involved. For the second year in a row, children from TCS were asked to provide artwork to support the event.
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This year, the TCS students focused their art on a theme of recycling. Students in first to sixth grade created posters reflecting their thoughts on why recycling is important, how we can recycle, and what things are actually recyclable. Resourceful sculptures were constructed by the students in seventh and eighth grade utilizing items cast aside for recycling.
Debbie Seador, a first and second grade teacher at TCS, supported the initiative. “I found this activity a good opportunity to discuss the word sustainability and what it means to the Earth. The children tried to incorporate the UD symbol and real 3-D examples of recyclable items in their posters.”
Michael Fernbacher, a planning committee member, stated, “We included students from The College School to help reinforce that all members of the University community can participate in sustainability efforts -- it's not just the responsibility of the faculty or administrators. By instilling the importance of sustainability at an early age, we help make it normal part of everyday activities for a lifetime.”
Students in fourth through eighth grade were invited to The Green to display their work, while the younger grades participated in an activity at school called, “Not in My Back Yard.” Two teams competed, utilizing crumpled paper that was retrieved from the recycle bin. The teams tossed the trash over the net, and when the whistle blew, the side with less trash was declared the winner.
Stacy Poplos Connor, TCS teacher for grades four through eight, stated, “Being a part of the University of Delaware's Sustainability Day is important because we all need to work together to keep the campus beautiful. There are so many people here that we can make a difference and hopefully it will encourage others to recycle.”
Other UD Sustainability Initiatives
• Details on Sustainability Day
• Cooking oil to help power UD bus fleet
• Visit the new Blue Henergy website to learn more about energy usage on campus.
About The College School
The College School (TCS) is part of the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. Working together, faculty and staff implement innovative instructional programs for students in grades 1-8 who demonstrate learning, attention, mild social/emotional, and/or mild behavioral issues. Conveniently located on UD’s campus, TCS benefits from a wide range of UD programs, while providing faculty and students with opportunities for conducting research and hands-on teaching experiences. TCS is currently accepting applications. Contact TCS Admissions for more information.
Article by Alison Burris
Photographs by Kathy Atkinson and Alison Burris