Our Story
Deep Run Elementary located in Elkridge, Maryland was originally certified as a Green School in 2009 and recertified in 2013 and 2017. While we’ve had a strong history in this area, we haven’t sat back and rested on our laurels. We continue to push ahead and grow the ways in which our school can incorporate environmental lessons and learning. Deep Run has continued its journey of environmental awareness and action, while continuing to strengthen our core environmental literacy. Students and staff have remained engaged in a variety of conservation activities as environmental awareness continues to be a priority at the school. Whether in classroom lessons, school-wide celebrations or community partnerships, we strive to deepen our students’ knowledge of the planet and its processes. Having an appreciation of environmental concerns at the local level up through global issues, our students are becoming informed citizens capable of not only understanding the problems we face, but also contributing needed solutions.
Since our last recertification, we’ve added some great new traditions at Deep Run. One that has been especially heart-warming and incredibly successful is the annual Toy Swap. Many Deep Run families lack the resources to provide their children with the number of toys and gifts every parent would love to give their children during the holiday season. We wanted to find a way to help supplement those activities, and also allow for students to “shop” for others. Students were encouraged to go through their own personal items and donate to others around them. Students were very aware of not only the difference they were making to the environment they also knew their once beloved toys were going to special new homes. Toys, books, puzzles and other donated used items flooded in after our call went out. We then advertised for community members to come partake in the Toy Swap. Parents came and founds gifts for children, kids searched for the perfect gift for siblings, and those of us staffing the event came away with the gift of gratitude and thankfulness we felt from every person at the event. Due to COVID, our 2020 event could not occur, but we plan to reestablish the Toy Swap in 2021.
The courtyard has also been a major focus since our last recertification. Students, staff, parents and community partners have all had a hand in shaping this area into the beautiful resource it has become. While our two parent PTA representatives took the lead in reimagining the courtyard, help has come at all levels. We had members of READY initially perform the major work of removing all of the invasive shrubs in the area. We then had Lauren Turner from Lauren’s Garden Service consult with us on which plants would work in the courtyard, and provide a discount on all purchased materials. We had local greenhouse, Frank’s Nursery, donate native flowers such as butterfly weed. Teachers, students, and administrative staff, including our Deep Run principal, Ms. Lancaster, have helped during our many weeding sessions. Custodial staff have been extremely supportive, hauling bags of invasive plants to the trash and watering tender, newly planted additions during times of high heat or drought. A parent built and installed the trellis for our native coral honeysuckle vine. Students and teachers have come together to create beautiful hand-made signs out of wood or rocks to serve as plant identification markers. And, we even have a former student who is involved in helping to paint a new butterfly life-cycle mural as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project. The courtyard has truly been a group project and the results show just how successful that can be.
While we are extremely proud of all that we have accomplished over the last several years, we continue to look for new and innovative ways to grow our Green School. For us, being a Green School is not something we focus on once every four years. Instead, it’s something that we integrate into all that we say, do, and learn, every day of the year.
Since our last recertification, we’ve added some great new traditions at Deep Run. One that has been especially heart-warming and incredibly successful is the annual Toy Swap. Many Deep Run families lack the resources to provide their children with the number of toys and gifts every parent would love to give their children during the holiday season. We wanted to find a way to help supplement those activities, and also allow for students to “shop” for others. Students were encouraged to go through their own personal items and donate to others around them. Students were very aware of not only the difference they were making to the environment they also knew their once beloved toys were going to special new homes. Toys, books, puzzles and other donated used items flooded in after our call went out. We then advertised for community members to come partake in the Toy Swap. Parents came and founds gifts for children, kids searched for the perfect gift for siblings, and those of us staffing the event came away with the gift of gratitude and thankfulness we felt from every person at the event. Due to COVID, our 2020 event could not occur, but we plan to reestablish the Toy Swap in 2021.
The courtyard has also been a major focus since our last recertification. Students, staff, parents and community partners have all had a hand in shaping this area into the beautiful resource it has become. While our two parent PTA representatives took the lead in reimagining the courtyard, help has come at all levels. We had members of READY initially perform the major work of removing all of the invasive shrubs in the area. We then had Lauren Turner from Lauren’s Garden Service consult with us on which plants would work in the courtyard, and provide a discount on all purchased materials. We had local greenhouse, Frank’s Nursery, donate native flowers such as butterfly weed. Teachers, students, and administrative staff, including our Deep Run principal, Ms. Lancaster, have helped during our many weeding sessions. Custodial staff have been extremely supportive, hauling bags of invasive plants to the trash and watering tender, newly planted additions during times of high heat or drought. A parent built and installed the trellis for our native coral honeysuckle vine. Students and teachers have come together to create beautiful hand-made signs out of wood or rocks to serve as plant identification markers. And, we even have a former student who is involved in helping to paint a new butterfly life-cycle mural as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project. The courtyard has truly been a group project and the results show just how successful that can be.
While we are extremely proud of all that we have accomplished over the last several years, we continue to look for new and innovative ways to grow our Green School. For us, being a Green School is not something we focus on once every four years. Instead, it’s something that we integrate into all that we say, do, and learn, every day of the year.