Green School Application 2020
Written entirely by student members of the Poly Green Team.
Written entirely by student members of the Poly Green Team.
Poly, A Summary
Welcome to Poly, a public college-preparatory, STEM-magnet high school in Baltimore City. The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute is situated at the confluence of multiple unique neighborhoods, including Cross Keys, Roland Park, and Medfield Heights. Comprised of a diverse and passionate student body of about 1,500 students, the school has a long and varied history, having first been established in 1883. With approximately 80 teachers, the school offers both science and engineering practicums for students, as well as magnet programs like the Ingenuity Project, Project Lead the Way, and JROTC. Poly is situated right next to the Jones Falls, a major tributary to the Inner Harbor, which gives its students a special connection to the environment surrounding them. With both a vegetable and a pollinator garden within the campus and multiple environmental classes available as part of the school's science emphasis, students are actively exposed to sustainability-based education on a daily basis. Although Poly's students are often busy keeping up with the rigorous coursework (including multiple AP classes), organizations like the Poly Parent and Faculty Association (PPFA) help link parents, teachers, students, and administrators together to strive for improvements to Poly's environment. The Poly Alumni Association also fosters connections by giving the school's extensive alumni body a chance to give back to the school community. Here at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, our six words unite us: Freedom, Responsibility, Perseverance, Achievement, Goodness, and Mercy. Here at Poly, every graduate and current student embodies the phrase Poly Pride, Deep Inside!
Environmental Culture at Poly
At Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, sustainability is something supported by students, staff, and administration. Being environmentally friendly is just another way we connect theory with practice. Students, faculty members, community members, parents, and administration all collaborated on the Green Schools effort, continuing green events that were already a tradition and brainstorming new ideas to expand Poly's green culture.
Our teachers were very supportive of our application process. Many provided documentation of their lesson plans incorporating environmental topics into the classroom. They also have committed to using Google Classroom, an online resource, in order to share and collect assignments from students, as opposed to wasting paper. Over the last two years, classes from AP Calculus to World History, and any class in between, incorporated sustainability topics into their discussions. Additionally, in order to engage the entire student body, Poly has begun hosting monthly Green Wednesdays, after school events that bring the student body together to work with an environmental club on a project. Such events are student-facilitated and engage a diverse group with environmental issues. Thus, essentially all students receive a green education at Poly through hands-on activities. Our teachers also receive updates on schoolwide sustainability movements during professional development, led by the student Green Team.
Student-based projects at Poly are extremely diverse and hosted by multiple clubs, including the school's Environmental Club, Aquaponics Club, Gardening Club, Recycling Club, and International Student-led Arctic Monitoring & Research (ISAMR) Club. Projects have been centered around the four categories of water conservation and pollution prevention, energy conservation, waste reduction, and habitat restoration. Examples include educating students about Poly's completely sustainable aquaponics system (engineered 100% by Poly engineering students and supported by a solar panel system installed in Poly's side parking lot to minimize the system's carbon footprint), collecting recycling around the school, helping to plant the Spring seeds for the native herb and vegetable garden, and going on a hike to pick up trash near Jones Falls. At Poly, these student projects are organized by students, for students.
Finally, Poly has continued to get involved in the local community. In January of 2020, the Poly Environmental Club hosted a presentation by Sunrise, an international organization fighting climate change with a local Baltimore hub. Poly also participated in the national Climate Strike on September 20th, and the school's involvement was advocated for by students to the point where it was acknowledged as a field trip and supported by administration.
Since our last Green School application, Poly has made leaps and strides towards creating a thorough green culture embraced by all students, staff, and administration. We have gotten involved with national and international movements, such as advocating for the Green New Deal and joining a climate strike, as well as made local progress when it comes to improving school sustainability. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the hard work of passionate students and supportive faculty working together to make sure Poly is a part of the solution to the world's current pressing environmental issues.
Our teachers were very supportive of our application process. Many provided documentation of their lesson plans incorporating environmental topics into the classroom. They also have committed to using Google Classroom, an online resource, in order to share and collect assignments from students, as opposed to wasting paper. Over the last two years, classes from AP Calculus to World History, and any class in between, incorporated sustainability topics into their discussions. Additionally, in order to engage the entire student body, Poly has begun hosting monthly Green Wednesdays, after school events that bring the student body together to work with an environmental club on a project. Such events are student-facilitated and engage a diverse group with environmental issues. Thus, essentially all students receive a green education at Poly through hands-on activities. Our teachers also receive updates on schoolwide sustainability movements during professional development, led by the student Green Team.
Student-based projects at Poly are extremely diverse and hosted by multiple clubs, including the school's Environmental Club, Aquaponics Club, Gardening Club, Recycling Club, and International Student-led Arctic Monitoring & Research (ISAMR) Club. Projects have been centered around the four categories of water conservation and pollution prevention, energy conservation, waste reduction, and habitat restoration. Examples include educating students about Poly's completely sustainable aquaponics system (engineered 100% by Poly engineering students and supported by a solar panel system installed in Poly's side parking lot to minimize the system's carbon footprint), collecting recycling around the school, helping to plant the Spring seeds for the native herb and vegetable garden, and going on a hike to pick up trash near Jones Falls. At Poly, these student projects are organized by students, for students.
Finally, Poly has continued to get involved in the local community. In January of 2020, the Poly Environmental Club hosted a presentation by Sunrise, an international organization fighting climate change with a local Baltimore hub. Poly also participated in the national Climate Strike on September 20th, and the school's involvement was advocated for by students to the point where it was acknowledged as a field trip and supported by administration.
Since our last Green School application, Poly has made leaps and strides towards creating a thorough green culture embraced by all students, staff, and administration. We have gotten involved with national and international movements, such as advocating for the Green New Deal and joining a climate strike, as well as made local progress when it comes to improving school sustainability. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the hard work of passionate students and supportive faculty working together to make sure Poly is a part of the solution to the world's current pressing environmental issues.
Top 5 Accomplishments
1. We established 'Green Wednesdays' to support green clubs and environmental awareness among the entire student body.
2. Students designed, built, and now maintain a pollinator garden consisting of native plants which provides a healthy environment for pollinators, as well as a vegetable garden to teach students gardening techniques and encourage healthy eating.
3. Baltimore Poly students founded Baltimore Beyond Plastic and through this advocacy organization influenced law-makers to pass a styrofoam tray ban in Baltimore City Public Schools.
4. The Aquaponics Club has successfully bred tilapia to help maintain and support the school's student built aquaponics system which sustainably grows plants and fish.
5. Five students from Poly have been to the arctic and we are sending two more this summer to conduct research.
2. Students designed, built, and now maintain a pollinator garden consisting of native plants which provides a healthy environment for pollinators, as well as a vegetable garden to teach students gardening techniques and encourage healthy eating.
3. Baltimore Poly students founded Baltimore Beyond Plastic and through this advocacy organization influenced law-makers to pass a styrofoam tray ban in Baltimore City Public Schools.
4. The Aquaponics Club has successfully bred tilapia to help maintain and support the school's student built aquaponics system which sustainably grows plants and fish.
5. Five students from Poly have been to the arctic and we are sending two more this summer to conduct research.