Oyster Cages for the Crossroads School

2024, Baltimore, MD, USA

Middle School students at Crossroads school had a goal to restore the oyster populations in the Inner Harbour of Baltimore and around the Crossroads School. With the help of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a group of ten students built 10 oyster cages to implement into the canal next to their campus. In September of 2024 they will receive their spat on shell, and they will be able to fully implement their project. By May they will have grown into adulthood and transplanted to a nearby oyster reef! The project will continue to be used each year, leaving a legacy of taking an active role in the protection of life in the water.

SDG: 13: Climate Action, 14: Life Below Water

Targets: 13.1, 14.1

Raising Awareness Buddy Campaign

2024, Arlington, VA, USA

Students in a fifth-grade class at Jamestown Elementary learned from a Master Naturalist and parent volunteer about the issues facing the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. They realized how much they had not known previously and were inspired to create a buddy system in which students in their grade could teach younger students about the issues facing their watershed.

Fifth grade students went in prepared and had various games and resources to teach their third-grade buddies about the watershed. A week later they had the third-grade students create posters based on what they had learned. Creative awards were given, and the posters remained on the school walls for the course of the school year.

This unique project increased awareness and communicated to all how they can protect the environment in small and simple ways.

SDG: 13: Climate Action 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Targets: 13.3, 6.3, 6.6

Retention Pond Norcom High School

2024, Portsmouth, VA, USA

Students noticed that a campus retention pond was being taken over by Phragmites Australis, which prompted them to gather community resources for assistance in developing a mitigation plan. A stormwater planner, a landscape horticulturist, director of Operations for the City of Portsmouth, school administration and a student met about how to proceed.

Students acquired supplies that would assist volunteers in helping clean up the area once the Phragmites was mowed and sprayed.

During this process, students learned how to partner with others in the community to accomplish a goal. Together, they were able to create a more sustainable city.

SDG: 11: Sustainable Cities and communities, 6: Clean water and Sanitation

Targets: 11.4, 15.5

Flood Prevention

2024, Arlington, VA, USA

5^th grade students at Oakridge decided to address a flooding problem they had in the front of their school. They recognized that there was a drain that was supposed to be helping with run off, but it was perpetually clogged with mud and other debris. This excess water killed off plants and dirt became saturated.

To combat this issue, students created a rain garden. They chose plants with help from the local parks association that would do well with excess water and took the amount of sunlight into account. Besides the drain then becoming clearer, students also noticed that people were stopping to look at and enjoy the garden.

Students loved the satisfaction that came from creating something beautiful for the school that served as a reminder to protect our watersheds.

SDG: 4: Quality Education, 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 15: Life on Land

Targets: 15.5

Invasive Species – Carson Middle School

2024, Fairfax, VA, USA

Honeysuckle is a common invasive species on the Carson Middle School property. For years, the school has planted native bushes and trees in the spring with the help of a local community partner. However, due to the invasive species they were told they could not plant more until the plants were all removed. The students decided to make this their project and organized an invasive species removal event. This project will be ongoing but made easier with the purchased equipment and support from the school and community.

Students learned the importance of protecting life on the land and the role they have in each watershed.

SDG: 15: Life on Land

Targets: 15.5

Caroline Middle School North Anna River Cleanup Implementation

2024, Milford, VA, USA

Close to Caroline Middle School is a local favorite hiking location in North Anna Battlefield Park that students noticed was covered in a lot of litter.

To solve this problem, they proposed installing trash cans and signage to promote protecting the watershed. However, upon implementing they learned that although they could clean up litter, they were unable to install trash cans. Being flexible, they used the money to go towards an environmental educational experience. They facilitated students being able to go on a field trip to an army training base that gave students a high-level overview of efforts to maintain wetland ecosystems. Through these activities and discussions with the personnel, students learned that protecting our watershed isn’t always straightforward and we need all hands-on deck.

SDG: 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Targets: 6.6

Caroline Middle School, Demonstration Garden

2024, Milford, VA, USA

Caroline middle School Environmental Science students created a plan to use an area of the school grounds to begin a school garden. Sustainable gardening practices would be explored and taught to students to then be applied to home gardening. They started by using rain barrels rather than city water to teach responsible water use to students. The use of rainwater reduces the amount of treated water running off into the nearby stream, reducing the accumulation of pollutants in the environment.

Teaching students how to grow food sustainably will lead to lifelong skills needed in a county that has over half of its families qualifying for free and reduced school meals. Partnership with the agriculture class ensures that this project will not be “one and done” but instead an ongoing growth opportunity for the school and students. The success of the projects is expected to expand to the high school across the street.

SDG: 2: Zero Hunger

Targets: 2.1, 2.4

Active and Sustainable Transportation – Carson Middle School

2024, Fairfax, VA, USA

Middle Schoolers launched a campaign to raise awareness of the negative impacts of greenhouse gasses and encourage their peers to use public transit rather than cars for the commute to school. They collected data on how many students were on the buses the week before their campaign to raise awareness, and the week after. They found that the use of the morning school bus had increased, and they rewarded students and drivers for their efforts.

Next year, students plan on running the campaign earlier and longer to encourage a long-term change of habit that will create a ripple effect throughout the community.

SDG’s: 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, 15: Life on Land, 13: Climate Action

Targets: 11.4, 15.5, 13.3

Bluebird Trail

2024, Ashburn, VA, USA

Farmwell 7^th graders aimed to protect wildlife by creating a “bluebird trail”. The school had 4 bluebird houses and needed one more for it to officially be a trail. The 7^th graders earned the grants for the 5^th bluebird house and predator guards/raccoon baffles for all five bluebird houses. As anticipated, all bird houses were occupied by three different bird species – tree swallows, chickadees, and eastern bluebirds – all of them native to Virginia. Students have learned the skills required to create a welcomed change in the community and are excited to have made a home for birds in the years to come.

SDGs: 13: Climate Action, 14: Life on Land, 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Targets: 6.4, 15.3, 13.1

Blair Learning Garden, Native Plant Raised Garden

2024, Norfolk, VA, USA

Blair Middle Schoolers in Norfolk, Virginia noticed that habitat loss in their community due to major flooding issues. The students partnered with Master Gardeners, Elizabeth River Project and more to create a raised garden bed in front of the school to combat these problems.

The students faced challenges along the way but are pleased with the outcome. They all got a taste of the satisfaction that comes from doing something beneficial for the community and will continue to seek opportunities to do more.

SDG’s: 13: Climate action, 14: Life Below Water, 15: Life on Land

Targets: 14.1