Our Green Team represented Metro Catholic,
and had a chance to meet Mayor Jackson, at Sustainable Cleveland's Year of Vital Neighborhoods Kickoff in
Cleveland's City Hall.
Metro Catholic is a Green Ribbon School!
   

The Green Team displays a banner showing the
many ways a family can save energy.
   

The Green Team made dog toys out of old clothing
for the local dog shelter.
   
The Green Team watched the movie, The Story of Stuff.  Afterward, they made notebooks from one sided paper and cereal boxes. 
   
Six Metro Catholic Green Team students participated in the kick-off for Cleveland's Year of Sustainable Transportation. In the rotunda of Cleveland's City Hall the students talked with representatives from the National Park Service, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and other local experts.
 

 

 

The Green Team club watched The Story of Stuff, talked about what we consume and made notebooks out of one-sided paper and cereal boxes!
 

 

 

Green Team kids were also challenged to make an ornament
out of recycled materials. Christian worked hard on his
wreath made from a clothes hanger and some material.
We love seeing the things the kids come up with on their own!!
 

 

 
The Green Team made new crayons
from broken pieces that they put in
silicone trays and melted.
 

 

 

After watching a recycling video, the Green Team
looked at what waste was generated by classrooms
and how they can sort waste into recyclable material
categories of paper, cardboard, plastic containers,
and compost.
 

 

 
Junior High students work with
Miss Juodisius to clean debris
and weeds from campus gardens.
 

 

 
Miss Juodisius taught students about how important
composting is.  They examined the beneficial bacteria,
fungus, worms, millipedes, roly-polies
and more that break down layers of food and
yard  waste into nutritious plant food.
 

 

 

Junior High students work with Miss Juodisius,
our green coordinator, to refresh main campus gardens.
 

 

 

 

Our 2014-2015 eighth grade planted carrots last year.

Here is some of the crop!

 

  
 

 

 

The second grade students enjoyed a
presentation of "Bikes, Bees, & Butterflies"
from Cuyahoga Soil and Water.
They learned about pollen,
how pollination occurs,
and transplanting new plants
in to their gardens.

 
 

 

 
As part of the Green Ribbon Day celebration
on Friday, September 26, 2014,
Miss Bracher's second grade students
read the book 'Leaf Man' by Lois Ehlert. 
They also made animals out of different leaves.

 

 

  
 

METRO CATHOLIC RECEIVES
NATIONAL GREEN RIBBON SCHOOL AWARD

Metro Catholic School
has been recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education as a

National Green Ribbon School

 The award was announced by
Secretary of Education
Arnie Duncan
at 2:00 on April 22, 2014
The Green Ribbon Award is a national honor given by the US Department of Education to schools who demonstrate efforts toward sustainability and environmental education.

 

 

 
  The Sr. Ann Michael Garden has grown! 
Mr. Shivey planted some vegetables this summer, and look how they have grown!
 
 

 

 

GRADE ONE MAKES CASTLES OUT OF RECYCLED BOXES


Mrs. Andrews had the first grade students make castles from empty boxes.
The boys made crowns, and the girls made princess hats. 
Each child wrote a story about their kingdom.

 

  



 
 PAPER RECYCLING
Thank you to Mrs. Christy Bartley (mother of a family new to Metro Catholic this year) for the connection between our school and All Ohio Secure Shredding and Recycling!  After they shred and weigh the recycled paper, the school will get a letter telling us how many trees were saved!





 

 

 

  

Metro Catholic Teachers Train Earth Partnership Teachers

Metro Catholic teachers Emily Paskert and Mike Shivey are trained in environmental sustainability learning through the Earth Partnership for Schools Program.    This summer Emily and Mike helped to train 30 more area teachers in sustainability education.  Program partners included Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District and Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Going Green

Metro Catholic’s urban garden program began in 2002 with a Peace Garden. The garden club and garden space continue to grow.  In 2008 Doty and Miller architects worked with our staff and our student Green Committee to design and construct a model green classroom that we plan to replicate.  Currently Metro Catholic is developing a 3,400 sq. ft. adjacent property from the Cuyahoga County Land Bank.  This space will include raised beds, rain barrels, native plantings and a student performance area.

Peace Garden

The Peace Garden, begun in 2002, is flourishing at Metro Catholic.   Students learn through hands on activities how to: share responsibility, grow plants organically by maintaining the soil, name and recognize beneficial insects and plant companion plants in the same area to promote healthy plant growth.

As a spiritual practice, students deepen into an awareness of being attentive to the moment and appreciate the beauty and silence of being in touch with the earth.  Students share produce from the garden with their families and local food pantry programs.  In recent years, Gail Schmidt, a St. Stephen’s Alum, has sponsored a plant sale to fund equipment and plants needed for the garden.

Earth Partnerships for Schools: Teachers Participate in Summer Workshop

RESTORE (Restoration, Education, Science Training, and Outreach for Regional Educators)

In 2011, two Metro Catholic School teachers, Emily Paskert (Intervention Specialist) and Michael Shivey (Seventh Grade Teacher) attended a two–week workshop sponsored by Earth Partnerships for Schools.  The workshop focused on sustainability by shaping “restoration” teams to create a national learning community of professionals interested in high-quality teacher professional development and schoolyard habitat restoration education.  Among the many goals for “green dreams” at Metro Catholic School, Emily Paskert hopes, “ that the school is able to incorporate some of the key elements into the planning and construction of the green space near the Michael building.” She is also excited by the opportunity for students to be active participants in the planning, building, maintenance and enjoyment of the space.” Michael hopes that the Metro community will keep sustainability in the forefront of its daily activities.