MICKLETON — On June 3, the third grade gifted and talented students of Samuel Mickle School participated in “The Green Challenge” (Grades K-12). This statewide program empowers students through practical experiences to take ownership of their local environments.
Students were tasked to design and engineer green solutions to make changes in their homes, their schools and in their communities. The Challenge is intended to bridge connections between students and green professionals, resulting in an exchange of knowledge not available in a classroom setting.
This year the 3rd grade gifted and talented students, Kate Clune, Anna LaPalomento, Makenzie
Kunsaitis, and Natalie Ficarra, earned first place gold medals in their age division for their project entitled “Farmland Preservation.” The students conducted research through interviews of the Cecil Creek Farm manager and the mayor of East Greenwich, internet sources, and surveys to create brainstorming and action plans for their project.
The students built a recycled-parts diorama to present a visual component of what a healthy riparian zone would look like, assembled an in-depth portfolio, Google Slides presentation, and wrote and performed commercials about eating locally and farmland preservation which aired on the morning announcements for the school. They also gathered kid-friendly facts about clear-cutting, surface run-off, and eating locally grown foods to share on the morning news and through posters hung around the building.
Their presentation to the judges and scored portfolio earned them first place medals in the competition. More importantly, their dedication and hard work allowed them to better engage in their learning process and connect with the East Greenwich community on the global level of sustainable living.
The academic component focuses on implementing Next Generation Science standards and NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards resulting in powerful collaboration, interdisciplinary, and technological rich experiences. The Challenge promotes higher order thinking skills as well as enhances student involvement and knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics…STEM Education.
