Dowell Elementary School
Dowell Elementary School (DES) is a Green School located in rural Lusby, MD. Built in 1999, DES is situated just a few miles from both the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay with woods surrounding the school on two sides. Our mascot is a husky named Hero. DES first became certified as a Maryland Green School in 2003. Our Green School re-certification application reflects the Green environment that DES promotes. From upcycling and recycling in our cafeteria, classrooms and offices to the piloting of environmental learning programs, All 652 DES students are engaged in caring and preserving the earth's resources on a daily basis.
DES Green School Top 51. Juice Pouch Upcycling - Started in 2009, the juice pouch upcycling program has greatly reduced solid waste at DES. Each day at lunch, students place empty pouches in a bin. The empty pouches are later packed and mailed to Terracycle by a parent F.A.S.T. member for upcycling. This student driven program is made possible by the support of the DES F.A.S.T. volunteers.
2. Glue Stick and Marker Recycling - Each classroom at DES has a bucket for the collection of empty glue sticks and markers. A Green Team student collects and sorts the waste. A F.A.S.T. member takes glue sticks to the landfill for hard plastic recycling and mails markers to Terracycle for upcycling. 3. Storm Drain Stenciling - In honor of the Green Apple Day of Service, DES held a Storm Drain Stenciling event to indicate "Don't Dump" and "Chesapeake Bay Drainage" on the drains in the school parking lot. 4. Hillside Tree Planting - This 2013 planting in partnership with the Department of Forestry helped to secure a hill on the edge of a DES school field and prevent erosion. Three years later the trees are healthy and growing strong and the hill is supported. 5. CHESPAX Environmental Education - Integrated into the curriculum of all grade levels at DES, the CHESPAX program brings hands-on environmental education programs to every DES student every year. A specific highlight is the study of terrapins while raising a terrapin in 3rd grade classrooms. |