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Board reviews Green Schools grant projects from Edgewater High, All Saints, Audubon Park and others
Summary
Board staff presented deliverables from this year’s Green Schools grants, describing projects at multiple Winter Park schools funded from a $5,000 program—classroom plants at Edgewater High; a video from All Saints; a student journalism project at Audubon Park; a blender bike at Domarick Elementary; a harmony garden at Glenridge; bank stabilization and pollinator plantings at Howell Branch Academy; and sensory gardens at Park Maitland South and Welborn Avenue Nursery.
Board staff presented the outcomes of this year’s Green Schools grant program during the June 30 meeting of the Keep Winter Park Beautiful and Sustainable advisory board.
The board provides $5,000 annually to support environmental projects at schools serving Winter Park students, and staff walked members through deliverables from this year’s winners. Edgewater High School used grant funds to place a plant in every classroom and repurposed containers for pots. All Saints School produced a short video documenting its project. Audubon Park School organized a student "street team" of journalism students who interviewed local small businesses about sustainability practices; staff said the material will be compiled into a published digital and physical storybook, likely available in September.
Domarick Elementary purchased a blender bike for an eco-friendly way to make smoothies with produce from the school garden, introducing the device at a family garden day. Glenridge (described in the presentation as a middle-school project) built a harmony garden and engaged about 200 students in planting native species and learning propagation and garden design. Howell Branch Academy worked with city engineers to stabilize an eroding retention pond bank by installing littoral plantings to improve soil stability and soil health, and added pollinator plants to its learning garden. Park Maitland South used its funds to create a sensory garden with vegetables, herbs and water tables and started a garden pen-pal program that pairs fourth- and fifth-graders with students in Milan, Italy. Welborn Avenue Nursery and Preschool created a sensory garden and outdoor learning environment for 1- to 4-year-olds with composting and recycling features; staff also prepared a children’s storybook binder documenting the project.
Staff noted the Methodist School for Early Education’s deliverable reporting was extended and will be presented at the board’s September meeting. Board members asked questions and praised student engagement across the projects.
"They implemented this into, like, science lessons," staff said of the classroom plant project, describing the integration into curriculum. The board did not take action on these items; the presentation served as a program update.
