Easton Courier
October 2, 2008
By Laura Modlin
Correspondent
Samuel Staples Elementary students are learning about the color green.
Kim Fox-Santora, their principal, believes that teaching children to be good to
their environment is a cornerstone for their future and therefore should be an
ingredient in their education.
Towards that end, she is introducing initiatives designed to encourage an awareness
of conservation and sustainability in the school.
“The message we will be sending the students is an important one,” said Fox-Santora.
Recyclable plates for parties
The Go Green task force, a PTA committee seeking ways to help the school get
greener, presented Fox-Santora with a suggestion for using recyclable plates for
classroom parties.
The parties generally occur for student birthdays, Halloween, December holidays,
Valentines Day and end of year parties.
“The green task force was brainstorming ways to ‘reduce’ within the classrooms,”
said Kiko Teed, chairperson of the Go Green task force. “We felt the parties were a
good opportunity.”
The task force felt it was best not to try and limit types of tableware or crafts
right now.
At about the same time, they were getting back questionnaires from teachers with
suggestions for reducing waste in the classrooms. One teacher talked about a
colleague from California who mentioned the reusable tableware.
The task force liked the idea.
Teed found information on reusable tableware that seemed like “exactly” what they
needed. It’s called Preserve Tableware and is made from recycled yogurt containers.
“They are dishwasher safe, made in the USA, and when we’re done with them, they’ll
be returned to the company and recycled again,” said Teed.
“The PTA felt that since there is always money left over from class dues at the end
of the year, they could use two dollars of each child’s class dues to buy the
tableware,” said Fox-Santora.
The tableware could then be reused for several years.
After each classroom party a parent could be enlisted to take the tableware home and
wash them, then return the set before the next party.
Fox-Santora thought it was “an incredibly good idea.”
She felt it was right to be concerned about “the amount of paper waste with parties
in classrooms.”
Fox-Santora shared the idea with her faculty at their next meeting and they liked
it, too.
Some parents have expressed concern though.
According to Fox-Santora, parents were concerned about the cost, germs and food
allergic children.
Ideas for raising the funds for the tableware without using class dues are now being
discussed.
As far as parental concerns about germs or food allergic children, Fox-Santora has a
solution. She said that any child can be given their own set of tableware which is
kept in its own Ziploc bag and taken to the family home for cleaning.
“Nobody will be forced,” said Fox-Santora. “Kindly notify your teacher if you object.”
Fox-Santora underscored her commitment to lessening waste at the classroom parties.
”I will not relent on the message of reducing,” she said. “It has to be paramount.”
Container Composting
“Composting is really exciting,” says Fox-Santora.
Staples is a member of Connecticut’s Higher Order Thinking (HOT) program, which
works with schools in the state “teaching and learning in, about, and through the
arts in a democratic setting.”
This summer, Fox-Santora was at the HOT schools workshops and attended a workshop on
worm farming because she was thinking of composting in the school’s cafetorium.
Then she thought to start small.
At the workshop she heard about something called, “container composting” which she
said needs just a 14 gallon Rubbermaid container with a lid, air holes and peat moss
at the bottom.
A special worm is needed for composting, she said, and “if you do it correctly there
is absolutely no smell and no rodents.”
The school has a wellness policy encouraging healthy snack time which Fox-Santora
feels can be used very well in conjunction with the composting.
“Imagine a child’s excitement when they eat an apple for their snack and then can
put the core in the compost bin,” she said. They can then watch it being made into
compost over time.
Once the food is made into compost it can be used for flower beds and other outdoor
areas on the school grounds.
Fox-Santora brought up the idea at the August faculty meeting, asking for guinea
pigs. She was looking for six volunteers, one at each grade level, figuring that
once the program gets off the ground they can expand.
”I’m not forcing it on the teachers,” said Fox-Santora.
She got her six volunteers “right off the bat.”
Painting oil drums
As part of the school’s membership in the HOT schools program, they get an artist
teaching resident for ten days each year.
This year’s artist is Susan Rosano.
“She is a visual artist who works specifically with oil drums,” said Fox-Santora.
Fox-Santora saw some of Rosano’s artwork on display in a large common area of the
conference hotel.
“She had ten 55 gallon drums on display,” said Fox-Santora, who liked what she saw.
Rosano works with companies that recycle the oil drums. The recycling companies bang
out the dents, scour off the rust and re-prime them, according to Fox-Santora.
Rosano will work with students in the third grade painting the drums with
environmental themes.
“It will be based on the students’ interests,” said Fox-Santora. “For instance, they
could paint a design having to do with composting or the health and safety of the
Long Island Sound or symbols of recycling.”
Once completed, the drums will be used as receptacles for plastic water bottles in
each school grade level common area.
Fox-Santora feels the third graders are an especially good choice for this project
because their science curriculum includes a lot about the environment and they talk
about conservation.
Making progress
Teed is pleased with the progress the school is making.
“I’m really excited about the momentum at the school,” said Teed. “Mrs. Fox-Santora,
her faculty and so many parents have been so supportive and enthusiastic about our
efforts and I think it’s really catching on.”
Teed feels that the effort to go green works well within a school environment.
“I think it’s becoming clear that this ‘green movement’ doesn’t deter from the
curriculum but in so many ways dovetails quite appropriately,” she said.
“And there’s no question that the kids genuinely care about their planet and are
eager to learn ways to stop the harm that’s being done.”
Last April, the Go Green task force presented the school with a SSES Earth Treaty at
the school’s Earth Day assembly. The treaty is on a banner made from recycled silk.
It hangs inside the main entrance of the school and reads:
Our school community is committed to caring for our planet.
We pledge to actively teach about our environment and the challenges we face, to
take responsibility in preserving and protecting our natural resources, and to adopt
and support green policies and procedures that promote sustainable living. Through
these efforts, we will enable our children to become conscientious caretakers of the
environment.
We strive to protect our planet for future generations.
Copyright Easton Courier 2008. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
