Scientific Quest Involves Students at All Levels
“Do I/you/we really need to print that worksheet or term paper draft?”
Since early fall, that’s a question members of the Upper School Sustainability class have been urging their peers and faculty to consider. In the months since, the students and their teacher, Lynne Scott, have taken the issue well beyond advocacy into the realm of scientific data collection, economics, and hands-on learning—in a process that now involves science classes and teachers in both the Lower and Middle School, too.
A catalyst for the all-School involvement is the Green Schools Quest, a project-based competition initiated by the Missouri chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Quest is challenging local schools “to devise and implement . . . the most creative, effective, and no- or low-cost sustainable practice for their schools—because where we learn matters!” In the fall, a team of Sustainability students collected baseline data on paper usage, with the help of Technology Director Peter Gladden, and reviewed the cost implications of paper and printer cartridge usage. These students presented the information to audiences of students and faculty, as well as staff from the Business Office, offering and seeking suggestions for lowering paper consumption, including the use of tracking software called PaperCut, which is installed on all Principia-issued tablet laptops.
Just as they’d hoped, the Sustainability class’s efforts to raise awareness about paper consumption led to School-wide explorations of the topic. This semester, for example, Lower School students learned where paper comes from and how it’s made. They were surprised by the number of trees and nonrenewable resources used to make paper commercially. Then, science teacher Mary Jane Hoff taught them how to make their own recycled paper in the science lab, and the students identified similarities (for instance, flattening with rollers) and differences (not using chemicals, not cutting down trees) in the production processes. They were even joined by preschoolers for a couple of the papermaking sessions (pictured above).
Middle School students have focused on the life cycle of paper, researched printer paper use in Middle School, and looked into the origin and recycled content of paper products (such as paper towels and tissues) used in their own homes. The Middle School has also engaged in a PaperCut competition, dividing into three teams to see which one prints the least number of pages per person.
Meanwhile, the Upper School Sustainability students are continuing with their data collection and sharing occasional “paper facts” in the daily student bulletin. The final project submission will include a video produced by the Upper School students that incorporates their data analysis and highlights the increased awareness and attention to paper consumption and usage throughout the School.
As Principal Travis Brantingham noted in a recent letter to parents, “Regardless of the competition results, our students have already won! They’ve gained practical experience in data collection and presentation and now understand the relevance of scientific research to everyday life.”