Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center

Objective 1: Support of Systemic Sustainability for Local Schools

CPD Credit Courses

Professional Workshops

1.2 Professional Development of Center Staff

Chesapeake Conservation Corp

1.4 Supporting MAEOE Maryland Green Schools

1.5 School­wide Environmental Behavior Changes

2.1 Water Conservation/Pollution Prevention

2.2 Energy Conservation

2.3 Solid Waste Reduction

2.4 Habitat Restoration

2.5 Structures for Environmental Learning

2.6 Responsible Transportation

2.7 Healthy School Environment

Objective 3:​ Community Partnerships, Awards, and Special Recognition

3.1 Community Partnerships

3.2 Awards and Special Recognition

"Top Five" Accomplishments

Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center

Montgomery County Public Schools

Summary and Cover Sheet

In addition to our regular work of providing outdoor environmental instruction over four years to 40,000 Grade 6 students during three days and two nights, 46,000 elementary students participating in an OEEP field experience, and 2361 professional staff given a variety of formal professional development in four years, we think these five accomplishments are noteworthy:

Our Neighborhood, Our Watershed, a NOAA grant funded systemic and systematic Grade 4 initiative, is bringing a project based learning Meaningful Watershed Education Experience to every student through building the capacity of 300 teachers to teach it. By the end of 2016, 12,000 students will have the benefit of this environmental curriculum.

OEEP has taken the lead in integrating Trout in the Classroom as a MWEE into Grade 6 classrooms by obtaining funds to provide professional learning for teachers and assisting with grants to purchase equipment.

A stronger focus on agriculture is occurring at elementary schools in MCPS due to a partnership with County Council to bring the Maryland Agriculture Education Foundation's science mobile to every elementary school (136) in MCPS. OEEP is the main facilitator and manager of this new program.

OEEP continues to fulfill its mission to schools and the community through expanded use of its website to inform, motivate, and recruit. In addition to lots of resources in regard to using the school site for gardening and outdoor learning, several new videos have been added to help teachers involve students in environmental Student Service Learning. In 2013 we celebrated our 50th anniversary, and a 10 minute video about the mission and work of OEEP is on our website for all to view. The newest video on our website targets Spanish speaking Grade 6 parents whose children successfully attended the grade 6 program talking to Spanish speaking parents of the new Grade 6 students about the benefits of the overnight program for their children.

With a focus on ensuring that outdoor environmental experiences are accessible for all students in MCPS, OEEP has developed new initiatives to increase the number of under-represented student populations engaged in OEEP programs. We now provide priority scheduling of Title One schools to our Day Program, which has increased participation of those schools by 50%. In order to increase participation of our Latino students, OEEP requested the creation of a video in which Spanish speaking parents talk to Spanish speaking parents about why the Grade 6 program is so important for their child. That video launched in late fall.

Thank You for Viewing Our Application!

-The OEEP Team

The Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center, home of Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) Outdoor Environmental Education Programs (OEEP), became a Green Center in 2003, was recertified in 2007 and again in 2012. This presentation is for our sustainability recertification.

The Smith Center is located on 10 acres of Montgomery County Public School property surrounded by over 500 acres of park land in the North Branch of the Rock Creek watershed. The Smith Center presents environmental programs to almost 22,000 students per year through its sixth grade middle school residential program, and the kindergarten–fifth grade elementary school programs. Educational support to High School Advanced Placement Environmental Science classes occurs in the fall and spring to enable those students to have authentic, meaningful watershed experiences. In addition, classes and workshops are presented to hundreds of teachers throughout the year, and numerous community presentations are hosted at the facility during the course of the year.

Outreach to school and community groups is an ongoing endeavor. Partnerships with groups such as NASA, NOAA, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Montgomery County Forestry Board, Audubon Naturalist Society, Poolesville High School’s Global Ecology Program, Maryland National Capitol Park and Planning Commission, and the Boy/Girl Scouts of America, impact numerous students and schools throughout each year. We have partnered with the Chesapeake Bay Conservation Corp twice by hosting interns for a year-long experience related to outdoor environmental education in the public sector. These partnerships have enhanced our ability to serve and support the schools in MCPS.

The center continues to be a rendezvous site for sharing, learning and

encouragement in environmental related issues as it has been since

1974— 42 years!

OEEP Teachers Brian Shilling and Kate Wardle collaborated with NASA educators and scientists to create materials for their Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) program. NASA educators Dorian Janney and Christy Jones lead lessons at the annual OEA Family Science "Astronomy Night"

OEEP and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have been collaborating for over 20 years, getting MCPS teacher cohorts into watershed immersion programs. OEEP staff then serve as resource providers for teachers who want to continue MWEEs and watershed lessons in their schools.

OEEP has partnered with NOAA to systematically deliver MWEE instruction across all of MCPS fourth grades through the "Our Neighborhood, Our Watershed" (ONOW) initiative.

The Annual "Yoke Day" is where Outdoor Education Association volunteers from the community and nearby schools donate their time and muscles to make the L. E. Smith Center a cleaner, brighter, and more mulched space.

OEEP partners with American University and AFI each year to produce the Environmental Film Festival

Recently Izaak Walton League instructors presented their "Creek Freeks" professional learning program for MCPS teachers at the Solar School House.

OEEP has partnered with teachers Brett Query, Scott McIntosh and Brenda Newhouse of the FCPS Outdoor School to exchange program ideas.

OEEP Supervisor Laurie Jenkins has been on the Environmental Literacy steering committee since the beginning, and has been collaborating with MCPS STE and SS coordinators. She is also a member of the Governor's Partnership for Children in Nature.

OEEP is very involved with the MCPS community, regularly representing at the Back to School Fair and hosting our own Open House each year.

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Maryland Youth Summit

2012-2015

OEEP Staff attend the MD Youth Summit Annually to Celebrate Green Schools

The Annual Environmental Film Festival, hosted at AFI

50 Years of Outdoor Education celebrated in 2013!

MCPS TV helped OEEP create a video to promote the occassion.

OEEP Supervisor is a member of the Forestry Board and coordinates with the Board to organize tree plantings at MCPS schools.

OEEP collaborates with Audubon Naturalist Society bringing programs into GreenKids schools and promoting or hosting Green School Professional Learning opportunities.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/outdoored/

Objective 2:​ ​Sustainability Practices

Rainscaping

Each year for the past 4 years the L. E. Smith Center has hosted a design charette with the Department of Environmental Protection. Participants work in small groups to design storm water management strategies on site.

Low Flow Shower Heads in Student Dormitories

8 dormitories house nearly 120 students, teachers and chaperons each week of the school year. Students are encouraged to limit showers to 5 minutes, and to conserve water while they are in residence.

Each morning of student residence the cabins are inspected for general cleanliness but also for energy conservation. Students are reminded to leave lights off and exterior doors and windows closed.

Wind Turbines and Solar Panels

Labeled Containers

L. E. Smith Center continues to reduce solid waste by having residence sort and recycle. Labeled containers around the grounds and in the buildings make it easy for students to remember what goes where.

Food Waste Challenge

Each meal served at the L. E. Smith Center students are challenged to reduce food waste a little bit more.

Viewing Tips:

-Use Full Screen

Sixth Grade groups are now routinely using a small portion of their time in residence at the L. E. Smith Center to fulfill some "Action" requirements of their SSL responsibilities. Over 40 cubic yards of NNI weeds were removed last school year alone.

Brush Pile Habitats

Some groups of students will build brush pile habitats while in residence, clearing the understory of nearby forested areas and providing useable habitat for small organisms.

Student SSL Planning Guides

Before students are in residence, their teachers can plan which type of SSL will be most effective.

Native Plants

Wetland

Outdoor Classrooms

Stream Study Cottage / Earth Cottage

Two learning cottages are placed within easy access of the main building, and to streams, forests, and ponds. They are equipped with all of the tools and resources teachers might need to lead instruction outdoors.

Solar School House

A classroom set up to allow PreK through adult learners to absorb environmental lessons

Arboretum

The L. E. Smith Center was a pasture in 1974, and has been planted with various trees over the last few decades. Students may visit "Founders Grove" to see some of the oldest.

Carpooling

OEEP staff members carpool to the L. E. Smith Center frequently, insist upon carpooling for teacher participants in summer Bay Courses, and encourage visiting teachers to carpool while they are in residence. Parent chaperons are shuttled to the student "hike in" location each week, rather than having them drive multiple personal vehicles.

No Idle Zones

Many school buses arrive at the L. E. Smith Center, and drivers are told to shut the engines down, come sit by the fire, and have a cup of coffee while they wait. . . instead of waiting in a running bus.

Web Resources

Bus Sharing

Day Program Orientations

Each sixth grade program has some students leaving and some students arriving on Wednesdays. On this "crossover" day, schools will use one set of buses to bring the new students, unload them and their luggage, and use the same set of buses to take the other group of students back to school.

1.1 Professional Development of Teachers

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/outdoored/

Predator/Prey Food Web Simulation

1587 MCPS elementary school teachers participated in professional learning between 2012 and 2016 to team teach and deliver instruction outdoors with their students during OEEP field experiences.

EE-02 "Teaching Techniques for Outdoor Education

101 Teachers since 2012

Spring 2015

Spring 2013

42 Teachers since 2013

Trout in the Classroom

16 Teachers in 2016

25 Teachers in 2015

5000 Grade 6 Students involved in TIC

OEEP provided sections of "Our Neighborhood, Our Watershed" professional development in June and August of 2015 to 177 Fourth Grade teachers.

GPS Workshps (Geocaching, Precipitation,Tree ID)

64 Teachers since 2012

9/24/2015

3/13/2014

9/23/14

3/7/2015

EE-06 “Confidence Course Instructors Workshop”

147 Teachers since 2012

Team Teaching

Student Service Learning Lessons

72 Teachers since 2014

Each sixth grade team brings their students to an OEEP residential experience, where classroom teachers work alongside L. E. Smith Center teachers to deliver MCPS curriculum in the outdoors.

In March of 2015 middle school teachers received hands on experience to help prepare action projects at their own schools.

Wellness Challenge

Lathrop E. Smith Center staff won prizes for the MCPS Wellness Challenge "Your Race; Your Pace" by increasing our physical activity and recording our progress.

CPR/First Aid & AED

Each staff member is certified.

MAEOE Conference

100% Professional Staff Attendance 2012-2015!

Annual PD Day

Each year the entire OEEP staff visits regional

outdoor/ environmental centers to experience the variety of programs available in our region. In the past four years we have visited Robinson Nature Center, toured Catoctin Mountain Park, visited Balls Bluff with an MN-CPPC naturalist, and experienced the Earth Space Science Lab for Frederick County Public Schools.

The L. E. Smith Center was fortunate to be matched with two CCC volunteers. In 2012 Zoe Unruh completed her capstone Native Plant garden at the Smith Center with Banneker MS students, and in 2013 Kiri Brenner completed her capstone courtyard garden with Sargent Shriver ES students.

Classes & Workshops

Stephanie Lee -PLT/ Project Wet/Project Wild Summer 2015

Courtney Hebert -PLT Summer 2014

Bill Kraegel -NNI Control and Habitat Restoration Summer 2015

- Wildlife Management Technician Professional Summer 2015

OEEP collaborates with MCPS SERT to partner with potential Green School organizers, provide professional learning opportunities within MCPS, and offer Green School application supported work sessions

. . . from the FY14 Environmental Sustainability Plan

OEEP collaborates with school principals to make them aware of the outdoor/ environmental resources available to their schools within MCPS

1.3 Promoting MAEOE Maryland Green Schools

school visits

OEEP produces salad tables and bird boxes to give to schools, and offers kits and workshops where teachers learn how to use them with their students

School staff are directed to online videos and lesson plan resources to promote Green Action at their schools.

1.4.2 MD Green School Application Support

Worksessions

Water Walks Teacher PD

EL Lessons for Teachers

STEM Night Presentations

Each year nearly 12,000 elementary school students will participate in an OEEP Field Experience.

Nearly 10,000 sixth graders each year participate in a three day/ two night outdoor environmental education program

Native Plants

Composting

OEEP has partnered with the MN-CPPC nursery and the Poolesville HS Global Ecology Program over the past four years to provide native species of plants and to get them planted, with the guidance of Montgomery County Master Gardeners, into the many planting spaces at the L. E. Smith Center.

The L. E. Smith Center encourages students who attend programs on site to reduce solid waste by composting what they can. The "Discovery Garden" has several types of compost bins for students to deposit "vegan" food scraps.

Energy Efficient Lighting

SERT Award

The L. E. Smith Center has contiued using only compact fluorescent bulbs in torchiere lamps and the T8 bulbs in larger light overhead light fixtures. Many overhead lights are on sensors, and daylighting tubes are installed in the office areas.

Each year the L. E. Smith Center is recognized for being a model of energy conservation, solid waste reduction and recycling.

OEEP has school gardening through online resources and through modeling several varieties of gardens possible at nearly every MCPS facility

No Mow Zones

Nearly 43000 square feet of ground is designated as No Mow Zone at the L. E. Smith Center.

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