The community is active at Gorman Crossing Elementary School!

Going Green Parent Workshop

In February, 2011 Gorman Crossing hosted a workshop for parents which primarily addressed recycling and energy conservation in their homes.  At that time as well, members from the green school committee updated parents about the status of our green school application and ongoing green projects that are taking place around the building.  Our workshop was advertised for about 2 months prior to the event in the electronic newsletter, Gator News.  Although the turnout was smaller than we had hoped for, we had a great group of parents who were genuinely interested in going green and helping with upcoming activities that we were planning. 

Gorman Farm Presentation

On February 24, 2011 Mr. Dave Liker came to Gorman Crossing to speak to the students and staff about sustainability, using the land, and our responsibility to take care of the Earth as best we can.  The Gorman farm is located within one mile of our school grounds so the information was easily understood and close to home for students.  "Farmer Dave" spoke to the students about the importance of buying produce from local farms because it will have traveled less, it will last longer in our homes, and it supports the local economy.  He also spoke about the importance of growing and consuming organic food.  He told students what it means to grow organically, and why that is healthier for us.  Dave showed the students pictures of the different ways he and his staff are making the effort to run a healthy, eco-friendly farm.  Dave's visit was only the beginning of a lasting partnership between our school and the farm.  In the future, we've discussed possible walking field trips and educational opportunities for the students.

Alicia Moore - Recycling Presentations

On September 29 & 30, 2010 Alicia Moore (a representative from the Howard County government) came out to Gorman Crossing to do individual pod presentations for students about recycling.  She talked to students about the benefits and the process of recycling.  She also brought many materials to show students the types of items that can and cannot be recycled.  Finally, she showed a video clip from inside the processor at the recycling center in Howard County to help students understand how the sorting process works.  Many questions were answered for students during those presentations!
Alicia also spoke with the custodial staff and lunch room monitors to get cafeteria recycling at Gorman back into action!

Energy Conservation Pod Presentations

In November, 2010 Diane Sweeney came to our school to talk to students in their pods about energy conservation.  She taught students about all of the things in our world that use energy, and why it is important for the environment that we make a conscious effort to save energy whenever possible.  Diane adjusted her presentation to meet the needs of the various grade levels.  The most valuable part of the presentation was when Diane gave students practical ideas for things they can begin to do at home and in school to help the environment via energy conservation.  Students also obtained a lot of important information about saving energy by asking questions that were relevant to their lives.

Collaboration with Girl Scout Troop # 1365

On Saturday, May 7, staff and students from GCES will collaborate with Girl Scout Troop #1365 to paint the storm drains around the Gorman Crossing campus with a message about not dumping extraneous materials into the storm drains.  We are really looking forward to working together for a very "green" cause!

Pueblo a Pueblo/H2O For Life Partnership

Representatives from Gorman Crossing are currently collaborating with Kristen VanZandt, the president of the board for a small non-profit organization called Pueblo-A-Pueblo.  Kristen will come to Gorman to inform students about the objectives of her organization.  The goal of the group is to contribute to building sustainable, viable, and healthy indigenous communities in Guatemala.  They work to increase awareness of the need for safe, clean water and better hygiene for for schools in need in the Guatemalan highlands.  We are also looking into a commitment to fundraise money for this cause, in collaboration with H2O for Life.  Our intention is to contribute all of the money raised from our spirit days during the 2011/2012 school year.