Action Story Library
2024-2025 Action Stories
Raise & Grow Locally – Katherine Johnson Middle School
Students planned to reduce carbon emissions by raising chickens on campus, connecting with parents and farms, and managing implementation with a timeline.
Get2Green Gurus – London Towne Elementary School
By analyzing school waste data, students focused on food waste, introduced composting, recycling stations, and food sharing, and led school-wide education efforts.
Pollution is Bugging Our Stream – Langston Hughes Middle School
Students enhanced stream health monitoring with biological assessments, formed specialized teams, and created a plan to involve younger students.
Seed Bomb Project - Farmwell Station Middle School
Students proposed creating native plant seed bombs to support pollinators, highlighting the impact of tech development and partnering with local organizations.
Big Green and Gold – Blair Middle School
Students tackled nutrient pollution and food insecurity with a hydroponic garden plan, engaging their school and local community to distribute produce.
Buffer Builders – Mount View Middle School
Students researched runoff issues and partnered with a golf course to plan a native plant buffer zone that improves local water quality.
Community Pollinator Garden – Fredericksburg Academy
Students linked water quality data to pollinator needs, created a stakeholder-informed garden plan, and developed a multi-phase project with clear student roles.
Living Ponds – Crossroads School
Students addressed habitat loss near Baltimore Harbor by creating sustainable urban habitats and plan to share their model through a “pond toolkit.”
The Native Restorers – Jamestown Elementary School
Students tackled invasive species and erosion with a native rain garden design and produced a stop-motion video to share their solution.
Single Use Plastic Campaign – Rachel Carson Middle School
Students aimed to eliminate plastic water bottles through data analysis, education, and advocacy, supported by a structured, goal-driven implementation plan.
Looking Out for Brookie – London Towne Elementary School
Students studied declining brook trout populations, tied it to watershed health, and developed educational and advocacy strategies to raise awareness.
Caring for Our Community – London Towne Elementary School
After a detailed schoolyard audit, students designed a three-part plan to improve environmental conditions through student-led management and organizing.
Piney Branch Creek Action – Katherine Johnson Middle School
Students selected native plants to fight erosion, connected their local work to the Chesapeake Bay, and prepared to collaborate with county officials.
Plantable Pencils – Katherine Johnson Middle School
Students addressed school supply waste by designing plantable pencils and a reuse system, linking the project to global sustainability goals.
Practice Awareness – Blair Middle School
Students proposed an interpretive sign and events to promote native gardening and demonstrate its role in reducing stormwater pollution.
Trout in the Classroom – Katherine Johnson Middle School
Students connected trout-raising to watershed education, partnered with nonprofits, and planned a schoolwide learning event tied to trout life cycles.
2023-2024
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Litter Crew - Jamestown Elementary School
The goal of this project is a practice change to raise awareness around the litter and dumping issue at their school and Jamestown Park. 5th graders advocated for this change to the science department, presented at the Student Environmental Action Showcase in partnership with NOVA Outside, and are now spreading awareness by filming cleanups and starting conversations on the Jamestown Morning News Show at their school.
Energy Vampires – Rachel Carson Middle School
The goal of this project is a practice change: to eliminate energy vampires! Middle schoolers took inventory on the appliances and technology causing the most energy waste and are currently implementing strategies to decrease the stealthy drains of their energy, therefore lessening CO2 emissions. They are working with Fairfax County Facilities and Get2Green to raise more awareness and grow out this idea.
Action From Above - Hunters Woods Elementary School
The goal of this project is a practice change to raise awareness about the impacts of erosion, due to increased flooding events, therefore keeping a stream clean on their campus. 5th graders, with the support of parents, are implementing stabilization strategies such as native terrace plantings and a rain barrel at their school to help decrease watershed pollution on a steep downslope area that leads into a creek.
Blair Learning Garden - Blair Middle School
Native Plant Garden
Bog Restoration - Mount View Middle School
Saving local bogs means saving carnivorous plants, saving the Eastern Mud Salamander, AND saving our planet from climate change!
Journey of the Litter - Jamestown Elementary School
The citizens of Ms. Kalchbrenner and Ms. Turner’s fifth grade class will plan to make a video to raise awareness of the journey of litter and share it widely.
MCHS Brings Back Bats - Mifflin County High School
Following a severe decline of bat populations across Pennsylvania, students from Mifflin County High School Science Club made a plan to help support remaining populations of bats nearby our school campus. With a combination of increased education and awareness, habitat improvements and advocacy, students hope to see populations of our bats rebound!
Oyster Restoration at the Crossroads School
Students that are apart of the BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students) at the Crossroads School. This small group of students have all seen firsthand how there is an apparent need for oyster restoration and an increase in aquatic biodiversity. Their idea to combat this issue is raising ten oyster cages on the East Harbor, Baltimore Campus from spat to adulthood and then planting the grown oysters on a reef located outside of the Inner Harbor. They are planning on continuing this project annually, with new spat each year!
School Grounds Cleanup and Improvement Project - Caroline Middle School
Middle school students are tackling the issue of litter across school grounds due to a lack of trash cans outside for students and guests to use.
Watershed Watchers - Langston Hughes Middle School
Inviting the World to Watch Our Stream: Inspiring Crowdsourced Data Collection of Our Community’s Stream Health with Citizen/Community Science
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Active and Sustainable Transport - Rachel Carson Middle School
Ride the Bus: Harnessing the Power of Public Transportation to Reduce Carbon Emissions
HWES Eastern Bluebird Trail - Hunters Woods Elementary School
Our team created a puppet show that encapsulated our original presentation while incorporating the judges’ feedback. We had a lot of fun with this project and hope you enjoy it. We are excited about implementing our plan!
Invasive Species - Rachel Carson Middle School
Unwelcome Guests: The Impact of Invasive Species on our School Property
Raising Awareness Buddy Campaign - Jamestown Elementary School
There is a lack of awareness about the problems facing the Chesapeake Bay watershed since it provides many people with water and it is getting polluted. Our stop-motion video shows how we want to spread awareness by making posters and placing them around the school which will result in a higher awareness for the younger students. We hope that people who see the posters will think about this problem and try to make a difference.
Recycle, Reuse in Raised Gardening - Claremont MS/HS
Celebrating Unique Learners with Environmental Action
Trail Clean-Up - Caroline Middle School
Caroline Middle School students want to clean up the wooded area around a creek going through our school property, clean up existing trails, and create additional trails and spaces for learning.
2022-2023
Plastic Pollution, Composting, and General Recycling – Rachel Carson Middle School
Conquering the issue of plastic pollution and lack of composting and recycling in our local community.
Attracting Native Animals to the Creek – Jamestown Elementary School
We plan to install nesting boxes and insect hotels to attract native animals to use the creek near our school and county park.
Eradicating Invasive Plants – Herndon Elementary School
We are planning on eradicating invasive plants to replant native plants and fruit bushes.
Stopping the Spread with Boot Brushes – Jamestown Elementary School
We want to help prevent the spread of invasive species in our community by installing 5 boot brushes and 7 signs explaining how to use them and why they are important.
Our Littering Footprint – Eastern Middle School
Students will create a 15 minute documentary to educate fellow students at Eastern and other MCPS middle Schools about the impact of littering on the Chesapeake Bay. After the documentary is shown, student viewers will be given an opportunity to sign a pledge to stop littering.
Monarch Butterfly Action Plan – Herndon Elementary School
We want to create a Monarch Butterfly Garden Sanctuary at our school to help increase Monarch Butterfly Populations in our area.
More Energy Conservation, Less Global Warming – Rachel Carson Middle School
Our idea is to have Meatless Mondays which will conserve energy that is taken by the meat industry. Another idea is to encourage community and school libraries to have conservation kits.
Eel Restoration – Mifflin County High School
This project focuses on reestablishing American Eel populations in Kish Creek, with the aim of helping to restore native habitats and populations of organisms. Eel are a keystone species that will help reduce invasive crayfish populations, increase native mussel populations and help to improve the quality of the water.
MCHS Revitalizes Recycling – Mifflin County High School
MCHS Environmental Science students generated a plan to revitalize the (practically non-existent) recycling program at our school, aiming to accommodate plastics and aluminum recycling in addition to the paper recycling. It combines a plan to educate the student body, change procedures and improve access for all students.
Demonstration Garden – Caroline Middle School
Students want to create demonstration gardens at our school to show sustainable garden practices including garden set up, plant selection, and rain water use.
2022-2023 Special Recognition Projects
Blair Middle School Environmental Club - “Be part of the solution, stop the pollution”
Blair Middle School wants to do their part in keeping our Chesapeake Bay Watershed clean. We want to keep our storm water drains free from trash to prevent clogging and reduce pollution. Our Environmental Club would like to have designated trash cans placed outside our school. We would like to continue cleaning up around our school 3 times per month.
Jamestown Elementary School - Interpreting the Importance of Natives
We want to design and print interpretative signs to educate our community about the issue of invasive species, how to remove and prevent them, and what type of native plants can be planted to replace them. We will place them along the new stepping stone path being installed at our school’s new native plant garden, which we will advocate to help design.
The Hague School - Butterfly Garden to Benefit Biodiversity
We will plant and maintain a sustainable pollinator garden in our school yard, supported by collected rainwater and school compost. The pollinators from our garden will bolster the vegetation surrounding the nearby body of water to improve the local ecosystem.
Eastern Middle School - Rain Gardens Save the Bay for Future Days: Runoff Control
Students will install a rain garden at Eastern Middle School to reduce runoff carrying litter into Sligo Creek. Students also will create a 3-hour workshop to educate other MCPS middle school communities about the uses of a rain garden and how to make a rain garden.
Farmwell Station Middle School - Young Naturalist Club's Saving Our Watershed
Rachel Carson Middle School - Monarch Butterfly Waystation
This proposal focuses on the importance of Native Perennials, the rain garden, and pollinators such as monarch butterflies, due to their massive role in the ecosystem. Due to this, this proposal establishes some key points, and emphasizes actions such as educating people, creating designated areas for plants, and maintaining all of this for the future.