Texas Public Schools Week

Carroll schools will celebrate a Dragons Get Your Green On theme during Texas Public Schools Week March 22-26. During the week, elementary and intermediate campuses will hold open houses to display what each school is doing to promote a clean and healthy environment.

Open Houses

Carroll Elementary - Tuesday, March 23, 6-7 p.m.

Durham Elementary - Tuesday, March 23, 5:30-7 p.m.

Johnson Elementary - Tuesday, March 23, 6-7 p.m.

Old Union Elementary - Tuesday, March 23, 5-6 p.m.

Rockenbaugh Elementary - Tuesday, March 23, 6-7 p.m.

Durham Intermediate - Thursday, March 25
     5th Grade: 5-6 p.m.; 6th Grade: 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Eubanks Intermediate - Thursday, March 25
     5th Grade: 5-6 p.m.; 6th Grade: 6:15-7:15 p.m.

This year our Dragons Go Green efforts include an essay contest for secondary students and a recylcing contest for elementary/intermediate students.

Southlake Green Day

In addition, Dragons throughout the community will celebrate Southlake Green Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 at Rustin Park in Southlake Town Square. Bring your signed Pledge sheet to Town Square and be entered to win one of seven bikes!

Dragons R Green Pledge

A nation-wide event, the objective of the green week is to create awareness for energy and resource efficiency and empower children to become environmental stewards to protect our planet's valuable resources. The program also collectively demonstrated how eco-friendly choices can significantly reduce the volume of trash produced in schools. During the week schools will participate in a nationwide waste reduction program. Schools can select any week to run their green week (waste reduction program) beginning February 2 - April 13, 2009 and still be counted toward the nationwide number. The nationwide trash savings will be consolidated and announced on Earth Day.

Secondary Student Essay Contest

750-word essay contest for 7th/8th graders
1,000-word essay contest for students in 9-12

typed with one-inch margins and cover page including title, name, grade, school and telephone number.

Sponsored by Carroll ISD, GreenFellows, Inc. and Natex Architects, Inc.

Essay Topic: "My Part In Protecting The Environment"

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked on or before March 22, 2010 (deadline was extended) to:

Southlake Green Day Essay Contest
P.O. Box 93852
Southlake, TX  76092

1st Place Winners - $1,000 scholarship*

2nd Place Winners - $500 scholarship*

*Prize money for 7th/8th graders in form of savings bonds.

Winners Announced At Southlake Green Day, March 27

Category 1 - Grades 9-12

Category 2 - Grades 7-8

Dragons Go Green Essay Flier (pdf)

Judging Criteria: Originality, Creativity, Practicality, Importance of Message

About our prize sponsor. . .Natex Architects, Inc.

In a district-wide effort, Carroll campuses have been contributing their energy and creativity to going green. Backed by the ingenuity of teachers and staff, the Carroll Get Your Green On initiative is greatly reducing waste and preserving resources. Read below to see how each campus is helping out.

Johnson Elementary
Johnson puts a heavy focus on paper recycling. Classrooms and office collection boxes are taken to a large recycling bin located at the front of the building allowing easy access for parents and neighbors to also contribute. Johnson also recycles aluminum, incorporates energy conservation lessons through the Science and Social Studies curriculum and sends out reminders to turn off the lights. In the past Johnson has also replaced lights (and light switches) throughout the building to improve energy efficiency.

Durham Elementary
Every Thursday the Kindergarten Green Team hits the recycling hallway trail to gather items for Durham's school-wide recycling effort. Used printer cartidges, cell phones and aluminum cans are routinely gathered, as well. Durham is also going green by only sending its “Dragon’s Lair” newspaper out electronically.

Carroll Elementary
Each week Carroll Elementary School recycles various products. They also had several students participate in OurGreatCity.com's Going Green essay competition last year.

Rockenbaugh Elementary
Rockenbaugh Elementary "gets their green on" every day! Third grade students recycle the school's paper every Tuesday and Friday with Abitibi while the teachers gather the water bottles and aluminum cans from each hallway and take them home to recycle. Kroger bags are recycled with Enviro-Bag.

Old Union Elementary
This year, Old Union has implemented a paper recycling program. Students at all grade levels have been helping us help our Earth! Every classroom, workroom, and office in the school has been outfitted with recycling bins. Each Friday, classes of fourth graders take turns helping to collect paper from around the building.

Durham Intermediate
Durham Intermediate School has a recycling club that started last year by teachers Melissa Leider and Dena Johnson. Any student may participate in the club. Students meet before school on Friday mornings to collect the paper that the entire school has collected that week.
 
Last year the student council bought individual recycling tubs for all the classrooms, and they also purchased a big wheeled container used to collect all the paper from the smaller containers. This year the money earned from Abitibi Paper Retriever for the recycled paper was used to buy a second big wheeled container for the club.
 
Parents who want to participate as volunteers in the program are asked to contact Mrs. Leidner or Mrs. Johnson.

Fifth grade art students at Durham Intermediate School recently used their talents to promote conservation and “going green.” To view pictures of the project and learn more, click here to download a pdf.

Carroll Middle
Two dragon dens lead a paper recycling initiative on campus each Friday. As a group all the paper recycling bins are taken outside and dumped in collection dumpsters. Afterward students collect recycling from the individual bins in each classroom. Integrated in their job is a grading system. The students grade how well each classroom did, and if a positive grade is awarded, the class earns a recycling certificate which can later be turned in for rewards.

Dawson Middle
Dawson is proud to have the "Dragons Lights Out" program and a recycling program that has recycled over 15,000 pounds of paper each year and close to 500 plastic bottles some weeks.

Carroll High
Carroll High School is knee-deep in recycling paper, plastic and cans. This year the Life Skills class and teacher Connie Ball started a program called “Go Green, Recycle” in which they sold pick up recycle bags weekly, as well as collect boxes for recycling after cafeteria stocking. From this effort, not only has CHS helped to improve the environment and taught its students important life lessons, but the campus also makes a little extra money from selling the recycling to Abitibi, Inc. and cuts down its trash by 66 percent!

During the month of April, students at Old Union Elementary School did a hands-on study about plants thanks to a grant from Keep Southlake Beautiful. Fourth graders planted pumpkin, bean and squash seeds in styrofoam cups and patiently watered and tended to the seeds left to grown in their classroom window.

The students frequently observed the cups and recorded observations while practicing their knowledge of the metric system by measuring how much water was added with a graduated cylinder. They also measured the height of their seedlings as they grew. Once their plants were ready, students were given the option of donating their plant to the school’s garden or taking it home to transplant.

OUES fourth graders are continuing to visit the garden to observe the growth of the plants and will do so throughout the school year. In the fall, the younger grade levels will get to enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor!