Today, I'm posting photographs of Common Ground, Connecticut's only charter high school focused on the environment. I was there with a small contingency from the CT Climate Change Education Committee. One woman described the group as an eclectic mix and they definitely were, but they were all involved with education in one way or another.
At the school, we listened to some presentations about the place then four students stood up to talk about the projects they were working on which all centered around conservation/reduction of the school's resources, specifically water, energy, waste, and food. We applauded them on the content of their speeches and their excellent presentation skills. Then we toured the facilities. I loved the outdoor amphitheater where the drama class practices and entertains. It reminded me of something you might see at a National Park. The school runs a farm and eats, sells, and donates what they produce. It was a school vastly different than any other I've ever been to, a place where the outdoors was integrated into the classroom. In addition to passing out a few business cards, I did talk to one person who gave me a different perspective on the speaking scene from the viewpoint of a school and their needs of time and curriculum. Before I left, I gave the school one of my five contributor copies of ChemMatters (2/11 water issue) . One student and one faculty member had mentioned how passionate they were about the topic.
I thought I had pretty stylish science writing until I started reading The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. It is fiction, but the lovely lyrical writing is making me feel like the Plain Jane of writers.
In my defense, when you write for magazines, there is no room for excess words that add to the drama. They will inevitably be trimmed out and more science will be stuffed in their spot.
Next week, I anticipate making a trip to the university library for research papers. Many are online, but not all.
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