New Recycling Bins Help Make the School Greener

By Student Reporter Mimi Largier, May 2008

I would like to thank Mid-point Recycling for donating some new recycling and trash bins to help the school in the process of becoming even greener. The Green school task group suggested this idea. Two of the bins are outside next to the lunch area and are nice change to the old trash bins that were always dirty. The trash cans came a little bit early and the other set is just sitting around to go into the new building.

The recycling container that is going to go into the new building has a separate spot for aluminum cans and bottles, drink boxes and paper plates, just plain mixed recycling, and garbage for everything not in those categories. The recycling stations will help reduce the amount of garbage that goes in to the landfill. The stations will also provide materials for the worm bins by chipping the milk cartons and paper plates and using them instead of the shredded newspaper and bring in a little more cash flow by collecting plastic water bottles and other bottles which can be returned for a refund.

The recycling and trash bins will be put into use as soon as we have volunteers to manage them. So if you would like to volunteer your time it would be highly appreciated. The school is working on becoming even greener and these recycling bins will help in a big way.

The 5th Grade Gardeners @ Work

By Student Reporters Anna Eva & Mimi Largier, April 2008

The 5th grade class is currently studying Garden and Waste in enrichment. During spring, the garden springs to life; it needs to be weeded and taken care of. The 5th grade has taken up a large part of this job. Many, if not all, students enjoy working in this beautiful place for many different reasons. Miranda enjoys the garden because they get the opportunity to create habitats for native birds, butterflies, and bees. As she says, “You get to do cool things.” Isis enjoys the garden because “it’s an option you don’t get at most schools.” Isis also says, “You get to learn where food comes from.” Emily says, “The way Ted teaches makes the class fun and interesting. It’s also more enjoyable because you actually get to go outside.” Amber likes the class because they get to cook on Fridays. The highlights of this class for Rebecca are teaching younger kids what she’s learned about recycling, waste, herbs, and just general stuff in the garden. Ted Richardson teaches garden/waste with the help of Laurel Anderson, and he says he really enjoys it. He thinks it’s important for kids to know where food comes from, and his goal is to have the fifth graders teach the K-4 kids about garden/waste. Ted’s other goal is to help reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned.

The Green Building

by student reporter Tyler Burgess, April 2008

After months of watching it come together, the first phase of construction of the LEEDs building on the school campus is nearing completion. According to Howard Burgess, contractor for the project, they are working on the final framing, and just finishing up the roof. He expects to be done around April 11.

The carpenters faced some difficult challenges with this building project. “The building is built on two radiuses and the roof curves as if it were a big wave,” says Burgess. The Monthly asked Burgess what has been the most fun and exciting part about working on the building. “Lifting the frames up and hanging the huge steel slabs,” says Burgess.

This building will demonstrate an energy-efficient design using passive solar construction, water efficient fixtures, and non-toxic building materials, plus a rainwater collection system. It also will offer a recycling system. It will provide more cafeteria space than the school now has, and organic meals for school lunches. This building also will provide assembly spacefor 100+ people, as well as meeting space for local watershed groups.

Student Falls off Slide and Breaks Arm

by student reporter David Elder, March 2008

On Wednesday, March 19,  first grader Jaden Fitzgeraldwas running up the slide when he slipped and broke his arm. The ambulance put him on a stretcher and took him to the hospital. His favorite food is everything. When Jaden grows up he wants to be a fire fighter and fly planes. 

Fifth Graders Plant Rushes

by 5th grade student reporters Anna Eva and Mimi Largier, March 2008

The fifth graders here at Harmony/Salmon Creek School have planted rushes in the grass strips in the parking lot. The rushes, which are part of the school’s water filtration system, were transplanted from the school’s marshland area. This system is meant to filter the runoff water that goes into the creek by removing most of the chemicals and other pollutants that can harm the salmon/ steelhead.

The system works like this. First, almost all of the water in the parking lot runs through to the rushes, which absorb the water. Second, all of the water that’s been filtered through the soil or plants runs into the creek. Last, all the clean water makes our salmon and steelhead happy. We want to give a quick thank you to the California Coastal Whale Tail Commission Grant for lending us the money to buy the supplies we needed to support this project!

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