Welcome to The Ecology Academy
2011-2012
We are excited to start another school year with our newly developed learning targets. The beauty of the academy structure is that it allows all of us- teachers, students, parents and community members to integrate what we are teaching and learning through the lens of ecology.
We utilize our award winning garden, not just as a work space, but also as a dynamic, organic classroom. Yes, the chores of sustaining a garden such as ours- 22000 square feet (½ acre) of amazing growing potential- need to be done and some of the learning that accompanies this process are developing good, strong work habits, learning how to get along with others, and experiencing the satisfaction that naturally occurs when one does a good job. Strong self esteem is nurtured and blooms by the combination of working with our hands and our brains to complete a tangible, worthwhile project that we all have had a part in and we all feel proud.
The flip side of chores is the integration of our content area learning targets in the garden. Most successful adults have learned that sometimes it's better to work smarter than harder. For example, in math class, we have measured the garden, figured out the area and perimeter to determine what is the most efficient method of fencing the garden. Another class has analyzed the ribbons we won at the Common Ground Fair this year to help us decide what to grow next year. As we plant tomatoes in the spring, we refer to last year's spread sheets which provide us with invaluable data. We have read a book, Seedfolks in Language Arts class, which tells the story of a group of alienated, disconnected people of varied ages, living in a tenement building in Cleveland who build community through their garden, which is planted in a
vacant city lot. Another extension of learning targets is the soil unit in science. Each student brought a soil sample from home. The students identified the composition of the soil. They then looked at the horizons of soil in our garden and compared and contrasted it with other locations. Our solar kitchen, which should be completed this year, is another example of our learning targets becoming tangible products that we can all be proud of. In Art, students have created”vegetable and flower art” that takes as many forms as there are artists. Our beautiful drawings and paintings can be seen on display at the Cafe in the Belfast Coop. Our art is usually displayed there in the spring.
We have interviewed farmers and craftspeople at the Common Ground Fair this year to connect our language arts, math, science and social studies targets to the lives of “community experts”- people who are actually making their living through the application of what we are learning in school. The number of community members who offer us their expertise is invaluable to us and our students. We greatly appreciate their knowledge and their time that they graciously share with us as we grow and learn.
To sum up, the Ecology Academy is committed to a process of teaching and learning that focuses on relevant, real world experiences, that incite our natural curiosity for learning and that allow for learning opportunities that have real, concrete value to not only our students, but to our larger community as well.
Please feel free to contact us at 338-3320:
Kevin Coombs-English Language Arts x 118
Kelley Littlefield
Jeff Lovejoy-Social Studies x 119
Helen Nichols- Resource/ Special Education x 122
Jon Thurston-Master Gardener in Residence x 140
Peter Diehl-Math x 117
Lynette Sproch Visual Art- 102
Jason Bannister Theater Arts
Shawn Smith-Band- 132
SteveGroening- Unified Arts -108
Dan Gray-Foreign Language - 121
Henri Bouchard- Physical Education- 135
Wendy Reed-Physical Education 134
Dawn Preston-Alden- Physical Education/Health - 143
Babette Nealey- Guidance grade 7- 230
Leslie Stein-Guidance grade 8 -128
Ecology Academy
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