Thousands Attend Maryland Green School Youth Summit

A beautiful day at Sandy Point State Park was the perfect setting this past weekend for a statewide celebration of the dozens of schools across Maryland certified or recertified this year as an official “Maryland Green School.” Howard County has 42 Maryland certified schools. 

Billed as the “Maryland Green School Youth Summit,” the event recognized the efforts of Green Schools while providing students with hands-on watershed education from environmentally friendly businesses and organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, National Geographic, the National Wildlife Federation and the Maryland Park Service.

“The Green Schools program is really growing and we needed a bigger venue, so we thought Sandy Point would provide a wonderful environmental educational opportunity,” said Joanne Schmader, the Maryland Green Schools coordinator.

In fact, 58 new schools received their Maryland Green School flags this year, with 17 being recertified and six recertified for the second time. Two schools were certified as Model Maryland Green Schools.

Aside from the ceremonies, the event also included 50 learning stations, environmental campaign workshops, peer learning and a youth summit town hall meeting where students brought up environmental concerns with elected officials. 

Students were treated to informative demonstrations on everything from using wind and solar power, to building floatable buoys, to viewing (and even holding) live animals.

Howard County's Pointer Run Elementary student Maddie Ulman said her favorite activity was holding a snake. 

“They were about to shed, you could see it in their eyes,” said Maddie. “They were very muscular. You could feel their muscles.” 

Jordan Riley of Meade Middle School said he enjoyed the interpretive nature hike. “We saw different animals and learned about why they are in the area,” he said.

As a finale for the day’s festivities, students made kites out of recycled materials and wrote a message on it explaining what they will do to improve their community.

The summit was hosted by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland State Department of Education and the Governor’s Partnership for Children in Nature.

Maryland Green Schools from Howard County in 2011 (Please note: The first number after the school's name is the year the school was recognized as a Maryland Green School.  The next number is the year the school successfully recertified for the first time. The following number is the year the school successfully recertified for a second time. To determine when a school is due for recertification, please add 4 years to the last number next to the school's name.):  

• Atholton Elementary School: 2009
• Bellows Spring Elementary School: 2010
• Bushy Park Elementary School: 2010
• Centennial Lane Elementary School: 2009
• Clarksville Elementary School: 1999, 2010
• Clemens Crossing Elementary School: 2011
• Dayton Oaks Elementary School: 2009
• Deep Run Elementary School: 2009
• Dunloggin Middle School: 2007, 2011
• Folly Quarter Middle School: 2010
• Forest Ridge Elementary School: 2009
• Fulton Elementary: 2010
• Glenelg Country School (I): 2009
• Glenwood Middle School: 2001, 2009
• Gorman Crossing Elementary School: 2011
• Hammond Elementary School: 2005, 2009
• Hammond Middle School: 2002, 2006, 2010
• Hollifield Station Elemetnary School: 2009
• Howard High School: 2011
• Ilchester Elementary School: 2010
• Laurel Woods Elementary School: 2010
• Lime Kiln Middle School: 2008
• Lisbon Elementary School: 2010
• Longfellow Elementary School: 2009
• Manor Woods Elementary School: 2010
• Mount View Middle School: 2011
• Northfield Elementary School: 2010
• Oakland Mills Middle School: 2010
• Pointers Run Elementary School: 2011
• Reservoir High School: 2007, 2011
• River Hill High School: 2008
• Rockburn Elementary School: 2010
• St. John's Lane Elementary School: 2011
• St. John's Parish Day School (I): 2006, 2010
• Swansfield Elementary: 2010
• Talbott Springs Elementary School: 2010
• Thunder Hill Elementary School: 2010
• Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School: 2002, 2007, 2010
• Veterans Elementary School: 2010
• Waterloo Elementary School: 1999
• Waverly Elementary School: 2011
• West Friendship Elementary School: 2007, 2010

For a complete list of all the Maryland Green Schools, see the MAEOE's website.