Curricular & Co-curricular Projects

Calhoun's "Go Green" yearly theme in 2006-07, coordinated by Calhoun's School & Society Initiatve, inspired numerous educational and community service activities.  Below are some of the projects and activities:

COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS

• BEACH & PARK CLEANUPS: Students in Lower and Upper School divisions participated in beach and park clean-ups
• TREES: Lower School students planted trees in Prospect Park 
• NO IDLING CAMPAIGN: A third-grade study of air quality led students to campaign to get drivers to stop idling their vehicles in front of the school; the letter-writing resulted in a community-wide educational effort that reached Mayor Bloomberg's office. (See photos and a video of the dedication ceremony)
• RECYCLING: In addition to promoting recycling in the school, student clubs sold reusable Calhoun shopping bags to raise money for environmental initiatives.
• LEGISLATIVE ACTIVISM: Students across divisions engaged in writing letters and petitions to government officials about eco-friendly legislation. 
• WORM COMPOSTING PROJECT: Fourth graders learned about sustainability through a worm composting project that now provides fertilized soil for the school's Green Roof herb garden as well as for the "butterfly" garden maintained by Middle School students. The project also spawned an interdisciplinary project: fourth graders wrote a song about worm composting, which was produced and videotaped by Middle School students; art sculptures were provided by Upper School students. [video will soon be posted]  

UNITS OF STUDY

• ART: Students in all divisions created mixed-media sculptures using recycled materials.  
• LOWER SCHOOL: Social studies, science and literature for 3s-1st graders included discussions and studies of flaura and fauna in Central Park; animal and insect habitats.  An Earth Day celebration culminated in a division-wide art project; A yearlong elective course for 2nd-4th graders focused on environmental issues and healthy ecological practices.
• MIDDLE SCHOOL: Students wrote plays on ecological issues that were performed by a professional children's theater company; a two-day intersession was devoted to issues of ecology and social activism (viewing of the film, Hoot, with a trip to a local community organization, UPROSE); A division-wide reading of the book Green Boy focused on environmental racism and led to simulation activities.
• UPPER SCHOOL: In a special science unit, students examined different sources of energy and projected use over time.

GUEST SPEAKERS/ASSEMBLIES

Eminent scholars, scientists and social activists were invited to particiate in Town Hall Meetings open to the public as well as in classes and division assemblies. (See Visiting Artists/Scholars).