OVERVIEW
Franklin Square Elementary Middle School is located in Southwest Baltimore, in the heart of the city. We are the Peacocks, because we are proud of our legacy. Our school has 383 scholars that come to school mostly by foot or public transit.
Franklin Square Elementary Middle School achieved it's Green School status in 2011. We believe that we've been "green" before this terminology became the norm. We've always instilled in our scholars stewardship and caring for their environment. We removed asphalt surfaces in the rear of our campus so that we can provide safer and more environmentally friendly spaces for our scholars to learn, so we installed a learning reading circle as apart of our outdoor classroom experience.
Our campus is home to raised flower and vegetation beds, community and rain gardens. It's important that we maintain these gardens because we live in a food desert and swamp, where healthy food choices are not as readily available as they are in other neighborhoods. We are working towards being a Tier 0 (zero) food provider for our greater community by being able to provide fresh vegetables and natural seasonings for our families. Our ultimate goal is to become a food market for our area.
What's happened at FSEMS #095 since our initial approval?
Just to name a few items! Our school is fully engaged from Principal, Terry F. Patton all they way down to our pre-kindergarten scholars. We incorporate environmental literacy into our instruction and it's truly apart of our environment as our campus continues to make improvements.
Our scholars are engaged in rich, rigorous discussions about what they want for their future, and the key component that our scholars keep stating that they want a better, cleaner Baltimore! We the FSEMS staff believe that this generation will be the ones to change to the world, but as Principal Patton says, "it's the adult actions that will guide them to a better future". Being "green" is a lifestyle choice, that we hope becomes a way of life for our scholars and families in their lives outside the classroom.
Cheryl L. Owens
First Grade Teacher - Green Team Coordinator
Franklin Square Elementary Middle School achieved it's Green School status in 2011. We believe that we've been "green" before this terminology became the norm. We've always instilled in our scholars stewardship and caring for their environment. We removed asphalt surfaces in the rear of our campus so that we can provide safer and more environmentally friendly spaces for our scholars to learn, so we installed a learning reading circle as apart of our outdoor classroom experience.
Our campus is home to raised flower and vegetation beds, community and rain gardens. It's important that we maintain these gardens because we live in a food desert and swamp, where healthy food choices are not as readily available as they are in other neighborhoods. We are working towards being a Tier 0 (zero) food provider for our greater community by being able to provide fresh vegetables and natural seasonings for our families. Our ultimate goal is to become a food market for our area.
What's happened at FSEMS #095 since our initial approval?
- We've installed a new rain garden
- Instituted "recycling Ambassadors" for each grade level
- Furnish the greater learning community members with fresh vegetables from our garden
Just to name a few items! Our school is fully engaged from Principal, Terry F. Patton all they way down to our pre-kindergarten scholars. We incorporate environmental literacy into our instruction and it's truly apart of our environment as our campus continues to make improvements.
Our scholars are engaged in rich, rigorous discussions about what they want for their future, and the key component that our scholars keep stating that they want a better, cleaner Baltimore! We the FSEMS staff believe that this generation will be the ones to change to the world, but as Principal Patton says, "it's the adult actions that will guide them to a better future". Being "green" is a lifestyle choice, that we hope becomes a way of life for our scholars and families in their lives outside the classroom.
Cheryl L. Owens
First Grade Teacher - Green Team Coordinator