News : Green Schools: School Board hears about VSMS program\'s successes

VSMS teacher Jennifer Hancock tells the School Board about the Green School designation at VSMS.

School Board members listen to Chase Overton tell about the Green School event.

Jacob Isbell shares his memories of the Project Learning Tree event with the School Board Monday.

Chase Overton and Jacob Isbell survey a fire-damaged forest during a national event in Nevada.

When the American Forest Foundation brought together people from all over the U.S.to discuss how to make schools more environmentally-friendly, two Vinton-Shellsburg students were among the speakers.

At the 2010 Project Learning Tree International Coordinators’ Conference in May at Lake Tahoein Nevada, Jacob Isbell and Chase Overton shared what they and their peers had been doing to make Vinton-ShellsburgMiddle Schoola “GreenSchool.”

“They became superstars at the conference,” said Kris Howes-Vonstein, who along with Jennifer Hancock attended the event with the two students. The two students received a standing ovation at the end of their speech. Every place that Chase and Jacob went after they spoke, people would talk to them about their project, Mrs. H-V – as she is known at VSMS – told the School Board during its Monday meeting.

“They made Vinton-Shellsburg proud,” Mrs. H-V told the school board. “I was smiling the whole time they were speaking.”

Chase and Jacob, along with Mrs. H-V and Mrs. Hancock, gave the School Board an overview of the conference, as well as what the students did to help earn the school a $6,000 Green Schools grant.

Eventually involving nearly the whole school body – 427 students – the project began with a handful of boys who wanted to help find ways to reduce the school’s energy cost and environmental impact.

Chase Overton initiated a study of the lighting in the gymnasiums in the school’s buildings. He determined that the district could save $3,000 per year by changing to more modern and energy-efficient light bulbs. The district used part of its grant money to purchase bulbs for all of the gyms. The new bulbs have been installed in all but one gym. Soon they will replace the old bulbs at the middle school.

Jacob Isbell led a study of what it would cost to install a solar panel to power the computer lab at VSMS. That is one project that is possible in the future.

The students also participated in a “Foot It Friday,” walking to school to save energy.

The district, says Mrs. H-V, continues to be involved with Project Learning Tree. The students continue to work on environmental issues.

Currently, the Mrs. H-V and her seventh grade students are studying the walnut trees in front of the school. The students are discussing the walnuts, in particular. Some believe that the high number of walnuts on the ground, especially during the volleyball season, present a health risk to students, parents or grandparents entering the building.

The students are debating whether to cut down the walnut trees and replace them with other trees, or to find a way to deal with the walnuts to remove the safety concerns.

January event

The two boys and their teachers will also be featured speakers in January, 2011, at the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC) Winter Solstice Workshop. Chase and Jacob will again share what they have done to help make VSMS a “GreenSchool.”