A message from the Green Schoolyards Manager: |
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We’re getting so excited for the first annual Greater Cincinnati Regional Green Schoolyards Summit coming up on June 5! It is going to be an incredible event, uniting students, educators, community leaders, government officials, and (hopefully) YOU for a day of informative collaboration around expanding equitable access to outdoor, nature-based learning in our region. |
This is the first time an event like this will happen in our region, and we want to make sure as many people can be involved as possible. There’s more in this newsletter about registering for the Summit (space is limited!), having a vendor space for your non-profit organization, and volunteering during the event. |
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I’m grateful for the incredible work done by GSAN committee members, partner organizations, city officials, and an extraordinary number of CPS administrators, individual school teams, and students. Green Schoolyards is truly a network in action! |
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| Celebrating Earth Day everyday, Cynthia Walters
Green Schoolyards Action Network Manager |
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NEW: 2024 Greater Cincinnati Regional Green Schoolyards Summit! |
Join school district leaders, elected officials, and community organizations for a day of learning, networking, and celebrating collaboration! Highlights from the upcoming Summit will include: |
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- Keynote speakers from Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), the City of Cincinnati, and Green Umbrella
- A panel on school gardens moderated by the Civic Garden Center
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A student-lead tour of the Aiken community garden featuring animals, composting, and high-tunnel growing, as well as the food safety pilot program that allows students to sell produce from the garden to CPS Student Dining Services
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Lunch procured from local farms, hosted by CPS Student Dining Services
Plus informative sessions covering subjects like: - Mobilizing school districts and environmental education partnerships
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Career tech education & workforce skills development
- Facilities improvements & maintenance plans
- Identifying joint funding for outdoor & environmental education projects and programs
- Connecting food services to garden-based instruction & integrated curriculum implementation
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Teams from school district Facilities, Curriculum, and Foodservice departments are encouraged to attend to learn how to apply a multi-departmental & district-wide approach for implementing outdoor education projects and programs, and developing K-12 green career pathways.
Non-profit partners can register to have a vendor table during the Summit. Green Umbrella members receive a discount to the Summit. Please contact Cynthia for vendor and discount details.
The Summit is an inclusive event. Scholarships are available for anyone who finds registration cost-prohibitive. Please contact Cynthia for scholarship information. |
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CPS GSAN Curriculum Team
The Green Curriculum Team is busy at work producing a district Green Schoolyards Manual. The manual will be distributed to all CPS schools which will include resources and tools to support and maintain outdoor teaching and learning. Environmental educational and outdoor learning activities will be aligned with Next Generation Science Standards during the time of the year when they are taught in a new tool for educators. The team is also developmenting training modules for teachers related to green schoolyard features that include tree & orchard care, gardens, nature playscapes, and traffic gardens.
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GSAN Joint Funding Committee
In preparation for continuing the expansion of green schoolyards during the 2024-25 school year, members from multiple sectors are collaborating to identify funding mechanisms to support projects and programs. The committee has identified two top priorities: install features on the remaining school campuses without an outdoor learning space and mitigate overland flooding at three school campuses with stormwater infrastructure. During the Spring months, site assessments will be conducted at these newly prioritized school campuses to provide budgetary needs in applying for funding. The completion of these projects, aligning with the Green Cincinnati Plan education goals and CPS commitment to sustainability, helps ensure equitable distribution of resources and outdoor learning for all students.
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GSAN Workforce Skills Development Committee
We welcomed Thanapat Vichitchot, an Executive Fellow with the Office of Environment & Sustainability who can help make connections with the City and organizations focused on filling gaps in workforce training and green jobs placement. Committee member, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful presented the Roots to Boots program (see Beyond the Classroom section below) and their partnership with Groundwork ORV, both aimed at creating career pathways to fill the high demand for green jobs now and in the future.
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Faces of the Green Schoolyards Action Network: Tiffani Maher, Principal, Rees E Price Elementary |
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| Principal Maher is a champion for preserving the natural environment and providing nutritious food access via the school garden for her students.
After the garden at Rees E Price Elementary was damaged, Principal Maher called on the Green Schoolyards Action Network. Volunteers from Imago, Cincinnati Zoo, Hamilton County Resource, the Civic Garden Center, and Green Umbrella provided plants, soil, and seeds. The volunteers assembled new garden beds and helped students plant for a day of connecting with nature. |
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Thank you to Principal Maher for your dedication to supporting teachers and connecting students to nature, and thank you to the partner organizations who restored the outdoor learning space at Rees E Price! |
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Volunteer at the Greater Cincinnati Regional Green Schoolyards Summit |
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The GSAN is seeking volunteers to help the days before and after the Summit as well as during the event. Please contact Cynthia if you are interested in volunteering for one of the tasks listed below: -
Attach/remove signage, collect summit materials, set-up and tear down tables, return seating, general preparation & clean-up (June 4 & 6 - before and/or after the event)
- Non-profit and business vendor support prior to and during the Summit on June 5
- Audio visual set-up support prior and during the event on June 5
- Student Dining Services breakfast & lunch assistance (June 5)
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Check-in table & greeters (June 5)
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Upcoming Events: Celebrate Earth Day! |
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New Green Career Pathway: Roots to Boots |
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful (KCB) is excited to announce a new workforce development pathway in partnership with Cincinnati State’s Landscape Horticulture Department: Roots to Boots. Through this program, recent CPS graduates can earn a college certificate while gaining hands-on experience in the sustainable horticulture field. Participating students will receive tuition reimbursements and a monthly stipend. For more information about our workforce development initiatives, reach out to the KCB Environmental Education Manager, Kirsten.
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The Roots to Boots application is open until May 1, but program admissions will be made on a rolling basis. Contact KCB staff if you need assistance with your application.
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KCB cultivates connections between people, passion, and place. Their Education & Youth programs seek to nurture stewards of our shared public spaces that are committed to a vibrant and collaborative city and who inspire their neighbors to better care for these spaces.
KCB offerings include a youth-focused environmental newsletter, urban forestry initiatives, student litter clean-ups, and pre-event information sessions for corporate sponsors. Learn more about volunteering here. Educators or youth organization leaders looking to host an event can reach out to Applied Learning Coordinator Caroline for more information.
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Green Umbrella leads cross-sector collaboration to accelerate climate action across Greater Cincinnati. |
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