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Presidential Inauguration Day of Service Engages Students with Communities on Environmental Projects By Vanessa Bullwinkle
Before his inauguration, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama called on fellow Americans to dedicate themselves to a day of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19. Ushering in a national cause for service and volunteerism, Obama said in a statement, “Dr. Martin Luther King’s was a life lived in loving service to others. As we honor that legacy, it’s not a day just to pause and reflect, it’s a day to act.” Across the country, Americans responded. Thousands of volunteers signed up to participate in over 13,000 service events in all 50 states listed on the Presidential Inaugural Committee “Renew America Together” website,.
At Myrtilla Miner Elementary School in Washington, D.C., about 200 people joined together to plant a tree in the schoolyard and paint indoor murals. Elementary schoolers of all ages helped dig and paint alongside parents, teachers, community leaders, local residents, and out-of-town volunteers from across the country, and as far away as the Czech Republic. President Obama’s inauguration brought more than a million people to Washington, D.C., and many chose to participate in a local community action project on the King holiday to celebrate a nationwide spirit of unity and service. The event at Miner Elementary was organized by the national office of the American Forest Foundation, the parent organization of Project Learning Tree, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. It also kicked off the American Forest Foundation’s GreenSchools! program in Washington, D.C. that, as a result of a two-year U.S. Forest Service grant, will provide training and funding for diverse and underserved PreK-12 public schools. Students and teachers at five Washington, D.C. schools will investigate environmental issues at their school and engage with their community in ongoing service-learning projects that create green and healthy learning environments. Speaking at the event, James McGirt, Manager of Education Programs at the American Forest Foundation, said, “Today’s environmental learning and service activities are just the beginning of an innovative project that will empower kids, strengthen communities, and benefit the environment.”
In Louisiana, students and parents from a PLT school, Oil City Elementary Magnet School, competed in teams to collect litter from their neighborhood. All the litter collected was displayed for one day before being taken to a parish recycling center. “Our students were so excited to be a part of this national day of service,” said Cindy Kilpatrick, the science facilitator at Oil City Elementary Magnet School. “Our world is a long way from Washington, D.C. and the little ones wanted to know if the President would see their pictures. So, I uploaded them to the Official 2009 U.S. Presidential Inaugural Book." Oak Valley Middle School in San Diego, California, chose to do a week-long activity on consumer choices. They used PLT's "A Peek at Packaging" to kick off this MLK Day event. At the Dunbar School in Glen Ellen, California, students and their families worked in their large school garden, and at Oakland’s MLK Jr. Shoreline Park, volunteers organized by PLT partners at the East Bay Regional Parks helped remove invasive species. Nevada Project Learning Tree coordinated two school beautification projects, and in Ewing, New Jersey, college students from the College of New Jersey received training in Project Learning Tree in preparation for the spring when they will work with a local elementary school to do a clean-up at the Delaware-Raritan Canal in Trenton. “Today we celebrate new hope in America,” said Safiya Samman, U.S. Forest Service Director of Conservation Education, speaking in Washington, D.C. “When communities get involved, we can work together with schools and their students to make the environment better for us all.” These thoughts were echoed by Miner Elementary 5th grade student Omosede Irabor. “We’re here today to promote volunteerism and conservation of our environment,” she said as she introduced the ceremonies and principal LaVonne Taliaferro-Bunch. “Most urban kids don’t have exposure to nature,” said Bunch, “and our school is making every effort to expose them at an early age to environmental science so they can be globally competitive.”
Everyone at the event in Washington learned some simple steps they can take to “green” their daily activities. Students chose one green alternative and made a pledge to change their behavior accordingly. Fifth grader Damiya Wilson learned that compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and pledged to replace at least one lightbulb in her home. Fellow classmate Delonte Jones pledged to turn off the faucet while brushing his teeth to conserve water. But the outdoor activities made the biggest impression on the students. “This is fun,” said another fifth grader Troy Jones as he and Delonte got their hands dirty covering the roots of a white flowering dogwood donated by the U.S. Forest Service with mulch. “I just live across the street,” said Delonte pointing out his house, “so it will be easy for me to check on the tree most days to make sure it has enough water.” Children today spend an average of 6 hours each day in front of the television, but spend only 4 minutes a day playing outdoors. Yet studies show environmental based learning gets higher test results and Myrtilla Miner Elementary School plans to expand its outdoor learning opportunities as part of the GreenSchools! program. “Project Learning Tree provides curriculum and support for teachers who want to get their kids outside to learn through outdoor experiences like this one,” said Kathy McGlauflin, Senior Vice President of Education at the American Forest Foundation and Director of Project Learning Tree. “Expanding that with opportunities to connect students and their community, for the health and benefit of communities, is a win-win situation for all.” Miner Elementary is one of a pilot group of schools selected to trial a national GreenSchools! initiative of the American Forest Foundation. Over the next two years, teachers at 35 schools in ten states will receive training in environmental education and Project Learning Tree. Students will investigate their school’s energy use; solid waste and recycling; water; school site; transportation; air quality; and more. Based on their investigations, students will work with their community in service-learning projects to create a model GreenSchool. |
