Elementary (Grades K-2) National Winners
Siemens, Discovery Education and NSTA are pleased to announce the National Elementary School Winners for Grades K-2 of the 2011-2012 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge! See the winners from grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
First Place - MARYLAND
- Team Name Second Grade Science Club
- Location Chevy Chase, MD
- School Concord Hill School
- Teacher/Mentor Tracy Yaffe
- Description After learning about living on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Team 2nd Grade Science Club decided to reduce water run-off from their school campus to reduce any pollutants in their run-off and reduce the wasting of clean water at their school. The students did careful observations of the school site and the school building, noting that new trashcans with lids were needed, that there were major leaks in their gutters and that many of their water fixtures were leaking. As a result of the student’s observations, the problems at their school have been fixed. The team also planned the instillation of a rain barrel and a rain garden to clean their water run-off before it enters the local culvert. Finally, the students taught the rest of their school what they had learned in an interactive, demonstration-rich assembly.
View Their Proposal
Second Place - UTAH
- Team Name Team Earthlovers
- Location Park City, UT
- School Parley's Park Elementary School
- Teacher/Mentor Stacey Harris
- Description Team Earth Lovers accepted Siemens’s challenge by starting a cafeteria-recycling program in their school. The goals were to reduce the amount of garbage to the landfill, educate students and faculty about cafeteria recycling, and provide a model for a sustainable cafeteria-recycling program. As predicated, the data recorded by Team Earth Lovers shows that the weight of garbage going to the landfill each week is reduced by almost half because of recycling. Students, faculty, and parents are more aware and involved in reducing, reusing, and recycling.
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Third Place - FLORIDA
- Team Name Energy Patrol
- Location Lakeland, Florida
- School Lincoln Avenue Academy
- Teacher/Mentor Mijana Lockard
- Description Team Energy Patrol’s energy bill was sky-high! Team members were challenged to identify sources of energy waste and develop solutions to conserve energy school wide. Using a variety of sources, as well as data collected during school patrol, team members identified air conditioners and computers as the main energy wasters. Students formed an energy patrol to help teachers and classes change behaviors by setting air conditioners on no lower than 72 degrees and making sure that all computers are asleep or off when not in use. After three months of patrolling, they noticed significant changes in behavior and their energy bill!
View Their Proposal
