Several weeks ago, I wrote about the many things our students are doing to help others in our community. Here are just a few examples of what is currently going on in the Upper School. Green Roofs “Over the past couple of years, I have become extremely interested in green roofs. Green roofs are a type of garden that is placed on the roof of a building or structure. These roof gardens have many environmental benefits including decreasing run-off water and insulating the building underneath. Originally, I tried to get the school to put a garden over the existing building. However, this idea was rejected because of safety and accessibility concerns. I began to work with the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District to develop a plan to create a pilot research garden instead. We came up with the idea of creating a small structure that mimics a real green roof (that is actually on a rooftop) in order to collect data about them. Over the past couple of months, I have built this 12’ by 3’ structure in the courtyard. There are four sections. Three of them have different types of plants, mostly sedums and native prairie species. The fourth section is a control; it mimics a typical shingled roof. It will be used to collect information about the type of plant versus the quantity of water run-off. I am currently working with the science department to hopefully work the data collection aspect into an ongoing curriculum. The information may also be used as the school looks into the next phase of construction and ponders the possibility of putting a green roof on the new cafeteria.” - Christine Hansen (Grade 12) Paper Recycling “Environmental Club would like to promote recycling among the high school students at MPA. So, starting on Tuesday, November 13th there will be a paper recycling contest! Each grade will be assigned to a designated printer to use from Tuesday through Friday. The Tech Center will be monitoring the printers to make sure members of each grade print to their designated printer. At the end of the week, Environmental Club will check the paper consumption of each printer. The grade whose printer has printed the least amount of paper will win ice cream sundaes! Think of this contest as a fun and easy way to win a prize and help out the environment!” - Hannah Irvine (Grade 12) Coat Drive Student Council will be collecting coats, hats, mittens, scarves, and other winter wear to donate to students at Hayden Heights Elementary School. Many of these kids don’t have any winter clothing. All donations will be greatly appreciated! There is a box in the Upper School Office for winter wear that is suited for kids between 6 and 12 years old. The coat drive will run from now until December 1st. Thank you! - Student Council What’s happening in the Upper School: Summer Opportunity to Travel to France and Switzerland This year, the French department is proud to offer a two-week trip to France and Switzerland in June of 2008 for students currently taking an Upper School French class. It is not too late to sign up. Please see the blog for more information. http://blogs.moundsparkacademy.org/france2008/