GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS

Fostering Students’ Sustainability/Green InitiativesWhile Building STEM

And 21st Century Leaning/Career Skills

Children ...may spend their childhoods with little or no opportunity to play in clean dirt, swim in clear, running streams, hear and see animals in their natural habitats, feel the sensations of walking through meadows and woodlands on dewy mornings, climb trees, and explore wild places.  

These are the experiences that bond children to the natural world, sharpen their senses, inspire a sense of beauty, build emerging concepts of biology, geology, physics, and language.

And they are critical brain building experiences for complementing the physical , social, and cognitive skills developed in recess, free playground play, and compact nature areas in backyards, schoolyards, and neighborhood parks."  

 Dr. Joe Frost, the Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus in The University of Texas at Austin College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Texas Children in Nature Coalition member

HEALTH

IER, HAPPIER, SM

ARTER KIDS

Green Ribbon Schools’ 3 R’s Approach

Today we’ll:

• Review Green Ribbon Schools and Healthivores

• Reach and involve kids w/ engaging STEM tools/programs(Project Based Learning)

• Recognize student achievement

• Reinforce actions through individual and community support

Learning and Behavioral Change goes beyond “lesson plans” … we must:

753 SCHO

OLS IN

40 STATES GRS Launched April 2010 60+ Houston area schools

Source: Children at Risk

WH

Y GREEN

RIBBON

SCHO

OLS?

Before the What…Let’s talk about WHY Green Ribbon Schools

Reduce obesity...... stewards of resources...

... improve test scores... ... trim budgets!

CHILD

REN IN

NATU

RE COALITIO

N – 60+ O

RGS.

Green Ribbon Schools – State and National Partners

Helping students reach their potential, healthier, happier, smarter

What is a Green Ribbon School? Striving for Continual Improvement

GRS - PERM

ISSION

BASED – PU

RPOSEFU

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TERACTION

SGreen Ribbon Schools – TX Children in Nature Coaltion

www.greenribbonschools.org

GREAT PU

BLISHED

ACTIVITIESGreat Published Activities

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ARTERSchools Taking and Sharing Actions

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KIDS

Examples of a Few Published Projects

• NY Turtle Count • Alaska Wind Turbine• NJ Garden Plots • CA Outside Classes• Katy Fishing Trip video• Dallas Gardens and more• San Antonio Healthivores• Cedar Park Healthivores• Austin Healthivores (Spanish included in talk bubbles)

Please note, if the links do not work in the PDF or slide version, projects can be located used the Green Ribbon Schools’ web site “search” feature

DIG

ITAL PORTFO

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R ENTIRE SCH

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LSchool Badges, Archived Projects – Annual Clean Green Slate

DESIG

NED

FOR SCH

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LS’ ACCEPTABLE USE

POLICIES

Permission Based: Projects, Publishing, Moderation, Profiles

BUILD

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RELATION

SHIPS

Integrated Social Media Campaigns – E-letters, Facebook, etc.

Facebook 2,600+

E-letters 2,700+, Tuesday Tips

Conferences fromPTA’s/PTO’s to Student Councils to Teacher Organizations

Other:Hays CISD included GRS in5-yr strategic plan, school principal “focus, direction”

Balcones Chap. USGBC usedGRS web site to select schools

Partnership discussions w/ TSU Meadows/Aquarena Springs

UT Brownsville & PBL

NY Parent “GRS is the glue”Page ViewsOct.’11 1,173Oct.’12 23,183

GRS Web statsVisitsOct.’11 209Oct.’12 4,265

HEALTH

IER, HAPPIER, SM

ARTER, KIDS

Engaging Students – Fabric of the School – Contest, Recognition

An innovative program and contest that ENGAGES KIDS

in learning about personal HEALTH through VIDEO

GAME DESIGN

Background Convergence: Pflugerville ISD, AMD Foundation, Green Ribbon Schools

Pilot: Fall 2011, HS kids mentored MS & Elem (90% of pilot students Hispanic/African American, conducted during 21st Century after-school program)

Observed: Grade level step up in cognitive thinking and internalization of the lesson/concept

Created: Toolkit and national contest

Kathryn, Instructional Technology Coordinator:

Healthivores enabled the teachers to be competent facilitators … Students were excited to show off what they learned for other students … Watching students helping someone else become healthy was amazing.”

Josue, Teacher:

“Students are enjoying being able to design the games.  Not only am I seeing the light come on in their heads about healthy foods and exercising but they are starting to learn the vocabulary and skills around game making, which will motivate them to investigate further the mechanics behind game design and creation.“

Mariah, Student: “I started browsing around Taco Cabana's website. Most of the other students were looking at the usuals like McDonald’s, Whataburger, etc… … I heard Mexican food tastes so good because it's bad for you. I found a dish that has a total of 96 grams of fat. I was like, "holy cow, if you eat this, you can't eat for a day and a half". I decided I would never eat there again because I don’t want to be "fat".”

Austin B., Student and a Healthivores’ game winner:

"That is my dream — to actually create my own game company."

Zero Game Design and Zero Game Play Experience Needed.

If you can turn on a computer…you can complete our Lesson Plan with your

students.

Let’s just say we have made it really EASY!

WIN

NERS

Top Line Health and TechnologyPilot students reported•Almost 80% reported an increase in technology skills and about 57% reported increase in math/science skills•54% reported an increased interest in technology, 49% said increase in math and science interests•68% saying they are more aware and concerned about obesity•50% saying it has made them think about and/or adjust their food choices/habits Game Contest Participation Goal 12 to 15 schools Actual 46 schools, over 750 students About 375 games created, 50% by middle schools Published health education projects +400%

Contest students reported 68% reported an increase in technology interest 54% said program changed how they think about food choices

HEALTH

IER, HAPPIER, SM

ARTER, KIDS

Continue Student Engagement - Establish Tradition

Keep the buzz w/ Voting contest

New contest Oct. – March 2013 …

Extend Healthivores: Student newspapers,PSA’s,etc.

Establish “School Culture of Wellness”, cool to think/act regarding your health

HEALTH

IER, HAPPIER, SM

ARTERIt’s About the Kids - Future

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ER KID

S Briargrove Elementary and Green Ribbon Schools

• Build and Share Your Story – Glue

• Knowledge Sharing – Grow Best Practices

• Reach and Engage Community Participation

• Empower Kids for Life Long Success .. That They Matter

Building a Culture Where it is Cool to Think … And to Act ….

“Engaging children in nature exploration and play 

helps prevent obesity and related diseases, nurtures physical fitness,

enhances overall development and well being, and

adds fundamental dimensions to learning science concepts

not available in the confines of classrooms.”

Dr. Joe Frost, the Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus in The University of Texas at Austin College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Texas Children in Nature Coalition member

Steve Amos

Steve@4cw3.org

512-970-7443

www.greenribbonschools.org

Healthier, Happier, Smarter Kids