Get 'Em While It's Hot...

..because they're cool.

Our inaugural t-shirts are made from 100% pre-shrunk organic cotton. Since we are proclaiming this 2011-12 school year as the Year of the Purple Martin and Mountain Laurel, we picture them on the sleeves. The Academy's logo is on the left upper front of the tee.

Across the shirt's back we've printed the Green Tech Academy's logo.

Shirts will be for sale this Monday, August 29, through Friday, September 9th for $10. Sizes range from youth large to adult XXL. Students can buy them at the beginning of class, and we will have a table set up for Back-to-School Night and again at the Big Event.

Proceeds will go toward funding future green projects on our campus.

Environmental Studies Supplies

Our back to school shopping list is short and sweet: for each environmental studies elective, students will need a composition book. Right now several retailers have them on special. HEB had them for 40¢ last I looked. Even if a student won't be enrolled in a green elective until the spring semester, now is the cheapest time to buy. Spiral notebooks, whether with the wire binding or wireless, are not acceptable substitutes.

Journals (our word for composition book) will be kept in class for the duration of the semester and account for 25% of a student's grade.

Species Study and the Big Event

This semester Small Middle School is launching the Green Tech Academy at Small. We are expanding our environmental science elective course offerings. Students will be able to choose either a green or tech track.

David Bamberger once shared with me that he thinks every student should pick one plant or animal species and study that throughout their school career. Each student would become the expert on that species. Students rarely have the opportunity to study any topic in depth and so lack an understanding of how to do meaningful research. Our plan is to have incoming 6^th graders select a native species and conduct a study of published materials pertaining to their topic. As 7^th graders they would expand their investigation to actual field study, and if possible, participate in an ongoing research project. Several local wildlife experts have already agreed to mentor the fieldwork. Once they have made it to 8^th grade, we expect students to keep abreast of new information and further their field experience, as well as, develop a presentation for staff and peers. We will be offering an independent studies semester-long elective for this purpose. Students who already have credit for green classes they took at Small last year will also be invited to participate.

To help students choose a species, we are inviting some local experts to participate in a kick off event modeled after a career fair (The Big Event) on Tuesday, September 6^th. So far, our presenters are David Bamberger, keynote address, snake expert, Jared Holmes, raptor rehabilitator, Sallye Delahousseye, and small mammal rehabilitator, Ed Sones. They will be bringing live animals.