Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.1.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Philly STEM Education for Sustainability Linking Schools and Communities ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://www.efsphilly.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Reflections](https://www.efsphilly.org/reflections/) - [What is Environmental Justice?](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/06/what-is-environmental-justice/) - An interview with EFS Intern Akilah Chatman. - [What's Next For YouthBuild?](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/24/whats-next-for-youthbuild/) - As we look towards the future, we are focused on deepening our partnerships with community organizations, and expanding our outreach and education. - [Thorns & Roses](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/thorns-roses/) - Over the course of this year there were certainly prickly moments, challenges to overcome, but also opportunities for both staff and students learn and bloom. The goal of this reflection is to share what I viewed as one of the greatest "thorns" and "roses" that YouthBuild experienced in continuing to build what will hopefully be - [Community is the Key...](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/community-is-the-key/) - Throughout the process of the EFS program, the largest takeaway I took as a teacher and a person is that creating a sustainable community begins with building a community. There are many issues that our students face in their school and home lives that can be addressed by creating sustainable solutions, but if those communities - [Dobbins High School: What's been going on?](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/02/19/february-18th-at-dobbins-high-school-whats-been-going-on/) - Last week Wednesday, Feb 2nd, I got to meet the students for the first time. From the start of the program in August through December we were moving very slowly. We were unable to get time during the school day for the program, so we moved it to an after school program but this presented - [COVID-19 Stress, Community Partners, and Upcoming Strategies for Student Engagement](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/02/26/covid-19-stress-community-partners-upcoming-strategies/) - Over the past two weeks, I have spent my time collaborating with my Green Team associates on constructing a poll for students at Frankford Highschool. This poll seeks to further illuminate the current student knowledge base of environment-related issues, as well as bring forth the main topics they are interested in working on through this - [Reclaiming at The U School](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/04/reclaiming-at-the-u-school/) - Over the past two weeks, Anna and I have been working on an air monitoring unit together. I have begun going back in person to class on Monday mornings to meet with Anna and work with the students. It has been really nice to catch up and talk to the students again. I was able - [Lincoln Survey and Wellness](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/07/lincoln-survey-and-wellness/) - I am an alumnus of Abraham Lincoln High School from the class of 2017. My interest in the EFS/PHENND program is to see if I can be able to assist with creating a sustainability program at Abraham Lincoln High School and support the teacher & students. Our team consists of Paula Miller, Chandra Graham, and - [The Low Down on Saul](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/07/the-low-down-on-saul/) - It's week two and so far, I’ve worked with Greg and Rebecca to improve student driven projects. Greg’s class has a two-part project, with the students choosing a topic relating to environmentalism and their neighborhood. While the second part consist of a persuasive speech that is to be given to their peers. Their goals for - [Focusing in at The U School](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/08/focusing-in-at-the-u-school/) - A challenge we have been facing at the U School is getting kids from all grade levels involved in sustainability action and awareness in their community. Because Anna teaches a senior level class, it has been easy to heavily involve the seniors with background building, community partners, and hearing their opinions on sustainability at the - [Community Views, Survey Summaries, and Establishing Strategies for Increased Student Unity](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/09/community-views-survey-summaries-and-establishing-strategies-for-increased-student-unity/) - Recent work on the EfS project has revolved around the distribution and analysis of a student survey. This survey looked to solicit Frankford students' voices by defining how they view their respective communities in relation to their environments. Some examples of survey questions include: How do you think the environment relates to your home and - [Saul Students and Climate Anxiety](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/11/saul-students-and-climate-anxiety/) - Over these past two weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Bailey, a senior at Saul High School. Bailey’s project is centered around climate anxiety experienced among her peers and community. Through emails and in-person conversations, Bailey described to me that she spends a lot of her time thinking about life and the future - [Student Interest and Organizations at Mastbaum](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/12/student-interest-and-organizations-at-mastbaum/) - I've been working with Jules E. Mastbaum Vocational School, a public school in the Kensington area. Students have expressed a deep interest and concern over several social issues, most notably gun violence and drug use, both of which affect safety around the school area. Students and teachers describe an environment around the school that isn't - [Dobbins: my biased fav at the Student Symposium](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/15/dobbins-my-biased-fav-at-the-student-symposium/) - Saturday, June 4th was the student symposium to end the EFS year! The morning consisted of a panel to reflect on the pros, cons, lessons learned and the like. In the afternoon students from the various schools set up stations to share what they worked on throughout the year. And the throughout the day we - [Dobbins @ EfS Showcase](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/dobbins-efs-showcase/) - Dobbins student leaders are creating a short documentary video examining the prevalence of violence in Philadelphia, investigating the root causes and potential solutions. Students will visit, interview, and record select community partners to deepen their understanding of the connections between violence and the environment — natural, built, and social. They will share the video and - [Introducing the U School’s ideas, Competencies, and Chaos](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/introducing-the-u-schools-ideas-competencies-and-chaos/) - The U School was founded with a mission to break down the “top down” approach of education, and instead center students, granting them autonomy and agency that is not what one would find at a “traditional high school.” This of course presents challenges for staff and students! The educators that come to the U School - [Identity Work at the U School](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/identity-work-at-the-u-school/) - Starting the year out with some identity work taken from the PAR resources from EfS. Anonymous Child 1: Anonymous Child 2: Anonymous Child 3: Anonymous Child 4: - [Complex Relationships with Land Explorations](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/complex-relationships-with-land-explorations/) - We had discussions about how, while growing things and connecting with nature should be a happy and positive experience, because of this country’s violence against people and the earth, those relationships can actually be very traumatic. We looked at different groups of people’s historically traumatic relationships with land. We included US mainland indigenous people, native - [Positive Comments from the EFS Showcase](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/positive-comments-from-the-efs-showcase/) - On June 4th, we received wonderful feedback about our presentation! - [Reflections on the Year at Dobbins](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/reflections-on-the-year-at-dobbins/) - Our project at Dobbins this year was addressing the gun violence in Philadelphia. This is a topic our students chose as something that is important to them and impacts their lives daily. The students decided to create a documentary to highlight the roots of this problem. They began by creating an outline for the documentary, - [Caring about the future](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/caring-about-the-future/) - Why would a person care about climate change? Why wouldn’t they? What about litter? Or recycling? Or their own long term health? Do you care about these things? How much do you care? Do you care more at certain times verses other times? What impacts the fluctuations of these feelings within yourself or across peoples? - [Guerilla Gardening](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/guerilla-gardening/) - Students became interested in the concept of guerrilla gardening after doing a different unit involving guerrilla style sticker campaigning around issues that they cared about. Something about doing something that you’re technically not really supposed to do speaks to a certain part of the teenage soul. 10th grade students worked with Anna Herman and the - [Toolkit for Teachers- how/why do I teach outside of my content area and comfort zone?](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/toolkit-for-teachers-how-why-do-i-teach-outside-of-my-content-area-and-comfort-zone/) - One of the things that the AFNR program offers is an abundance of “real world” problems that are not contrived. Teachers need look no further than the schoolyard (or even their own classroom) to see all the different ways that students can be engaging in their particular content area as it relates to food access - [William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/william-w-bodine-high-school-for-international-affairs/) - Bodine 2026 Over the previous 12 months: Early on in the process, there was little enthusiasm for the project, and the ideas we, as teachers, were coming up with were dismissed out of hand by our administration. We had asked permission before starting the procedure, but we were denied support once we started. We were really frustrated - [Moving forward/next steps at William Bodine HS](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/moving-forward-next-steps-at-william-bodine-hs/) - teacher reflections Moving forward, we hope to have our student interns return to school in the fall energized from their experiences and collaborate with other interested students to create an afterschool forum. The focus would enable students to share their experiences as well as motivate others to continue improving the community both at Bodine and - [AFNR impact on EfS through school](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/afnr-impact-on-efs-through-school/) - The U School explored creating alternative pathways for high school seniors, and in 2019 made a commitment to considering how to bring some sort of agriculture CTE program to the U School. Over the course of many months, the first one-year CTE program in the state (country?) was outlined and then approved and then staffed. - [Humble Beginnings of the Bodine EfS Project: Part I](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/humble-beginings-of-the-bodine-efs-project-part-i/) - Part I: And so it begins.... We began with a community asset walk around the Bodine neighborhood (4th and Girard). We discovered several organizations that would be ideal partners for our project. Friends of Orkney Park and City Planter Fit nicely with our food security initiative. Although we were energized to start this project, we - [What are we Breathing?](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/what-are-we-breathing/) - This academic year studentsscience practices to investigate the quality of the air they were breathing in 3 locations: In the School Building, at Home, around their immediate Neighborhood. The tools used were cell phones and Air Quality Sensors from the University of Pennsylvania's Bioinformatics Team. Students learned to use Googlesheets to collate, clean, analyze and - [Adding Sustainability Standards & All School Sustainability Initiative to Curriculum](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/adding-sustainability-standards-all-school-sustainability-initiative-to-curriculum/) - The U School is based on a competency model. We have subject specific competencies, and more global ones, with performance indicators like “I can monitor my progress, set and track my goals, and create a post-secondary plan to ensure that I am college and career ready.” There are a set of relevant, but inadequate Next - [Humble Beginnings of the Bodine EfS Project: Part II](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/humble-beginings-of-the-bodine-efs-project-part-ii/) - Part II: Engaging classes I had my biotechnology class research community assets around bodine. Here is what they found: We invited twenty students to a meeting whom we though would be interested in this project. From this group we also identified three students with the most interest; Brooklynn, Yasmeen and Danielle. - [Solar Powered Recharged Cars with Repurposed Materials](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/solar-powered-recharged-cars-with-repurposed-materials/) - Our students used the Engineering Design Process to build cars. They used packaging materials to build the body of the car, and recharged batteries using solar cells. - [Earthseed @ Saul: Extended Reflection](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/earthseed-saul-extended-reflection/) - Some of the challenges in building out the Outdoor Learning Lab project included limited cross-curricular planning time. Because my planning time as an educator in the English department did not align with my teacher collaborator in the agricultural department, we were not able to engage with one another as much as we’d like to in - [Earth Day @ Urban Creators!](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/earth-day-urban-creators/) - Earth Day was a milestone moment in our ongoing collaboration with Urban Creators' Life Do Grow Farm. We brought together students, staff, alumni, community partners, & funders. The day opened with introductions and a ceremonial circle. Everyone linked arms, giving tribute to the Earth and loved ones who have passed. From there we worked in - [Trip to Iglesias Gardens and Phone Zap](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/16/trip-to-iglesias-gardens-and-phone-zap/) - 10th grade students went on a trip to Iglesias Gardens to learn more about how gentrification and development is impacting the community land reclamation movement in Philadelphia. Mr. Anthony from the gardens talked to students about the complex legal nightmare that entraps a lot of land stewards and the systems that contribute to their land - [WWSD? (What would Shaq do?)](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/30/wwsd-what-would-shaq-do/) - Question Posed: When you think about what you've been doing or learning this past year, what stands out to you? Student Response: I’m focused on the educational part, learning about solar power, learning about wind power and how we can use that for energy instead of what we’ve been doing. In 3rd or 4th grade - [Solar Energy Technology at Frankford HS](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/30/solar-energy-technology-at-frankford-hs/) - The School District of Philadelphia is doing big things over at Frankford HS. Here’s a short video highlighting their Solar Energy Technology CTE program, the first of its kind in the nation. - [Abraham Lincoln HS Reflections For The Year](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/30/abraham-lincoln-reflections-for-the-year/) - In my time at Abraham Lincoln High School it has been a great time to see the changes that are being made and will be made in the future. In my time as a student there was no such thing as wellness quadrant or festivals to represent a students heritage. It has shown that the - [Spring Has Sprung at Saul](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/04/spring-has-sprung-at-saul/) - Things at Saul have changed quite a bit, with the warming temperature they are now working outside! This is an exciting time for the students because it gives them an opportunity to be hands-on, which is vital to Saul. Saul has partnered up with the Eat.Right.Philly program in an effort to get fresh veggies in - [Earthseed Outdoor Lab @ Saul](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/06/04/earthseed-outdoor-lab-saul/) - Rebecca Rebecca Yacker The Earthseed Outdoor Learning Lab project, one of Saul’s initiatives in the EFS program, is inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s novel, Parable of the Sower specifically, the text’s concept of “Earthseed.” This spiritual belief system that centers on truth, knowledge, adaptatbiltiy, growth, nature, & community was used as the core value system to imagine the - [A Year in Review: Dobbins](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/31/a-year-in-review-dobbins/) - We're almost at the end of the year! We have come so far. The last thing we have to do is to present in the showcase. So what have we done in the mean time? This project grew out of an existing student lead organization at Dobbins named "Today's Students, Tomorrow's Leaders". This brought us - [Inspiration at the Youthbuild Charter School](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/26/inspiration-at-the-youthbuild-charter-school/) - I went into the school for the first time today November 11th 2021. When I first got there I was greeted at the security desk and then I texted the teachers. Then a teacher came down and brought me up to Mr. George's classroom. There the students were helping to arrange the room and put - [Updates from Dobbins: We did camera training?](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/14/updates-from-dobbins/) - Hey! So last time we caught up, we talked about how Dobbins has identified their area of interest and has begun working on their project. If you missed that post, I'll catch you up. The students at Dobbins are working towards creating a video that combines interviews, that represent various aspects of the community, on - [Abraham Lincoln High School: Wellness Area](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/16/abraham-lincoln-high-school-updates/) - Creating the sustainability program from the students has progressed. For me, I will be able to make more visits to assist the teacher and students until I graduate. In the extra visits, I expect to be able to assist with helping out in the wellness area and with the beautification process. There have been recent - [Hardships](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/25/1074/) - We’ve been focusing on a plethora of topics and questions since the beginning of the project. The students have been the major stars throughout the entire project. Our most famous question has been “How can we create a better understanding of sustainable energy and actually do something about it?” The hardship that we have taking Robeson has been having a tough time but we definitely have been working through it! The students have definitely been the shining stars throughout this project. - [Youthbuild Visit to Drexel University](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/26/youthbuild-visit-to-drexel-university/) - On Monday, April 4th I was so excited to host a number of students from the Youthbuild Charter School at Drexel for a demonstration of renewable energy technology such as solar panels and wind turbines and a tour of the Drexel Innovation Studio and machine shop. In the first part of their visit, we went - [Closing Remarks](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/28/closing-remarks/) - During this program we have reached a lot of bumps and and curves but with the help from the amazing staff I worked with, we did amazing. There are some things about the program I wish were a little better but overall it was a pleasure. This is where we started “My work fits into - [Workshop School](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/28/workshop-school/) - The topic the 9th, 11th and 12th graders are focusing on is gun violence, and the 10th graders are focusing on homelessness. Because this is the first week of this topic, the educator designed her lesson planned as building blocks. While I am only there on Thursdays, it's interesting to see how far they have - [Workshop School Cont.](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/28/workshop-school-cont/) - Today is another continuation of the lesson behind gun violence. The class was given a worksheet to fill out that deals with root causes behind gun violence. These include but are not limited to lack of education, racism and class status. I had the opportunity to sit in the 10th grade class for an hour - [Workshop Cont.](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/28/workshop-cont/) - To continue the conversation on gun violence, the class is preparing to learn about CPR. The first part of the worksheet dealt with different parts of the body and what vital organs may be a part of it. Students were paired with one another and was assigned a body part. Together, they found out which - [Fostering a Sustainable Future at School of the Future](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/18/fostering-a-sustainable-future-at-school-of-the-future/) - At School of the Future, students are most passionate about building school community through field trips to local places of interest. My teaching team is committed to finding valuable connections between this goal and sustainability issues. As of right now, the students have become interested in trips to the Discovery Center, local nursing homes, community - [Continuing Support for Mastbaum](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/04/22/continuing-support-for-mastbaum/) - Recently, work has continued to focus on researching community organizations. One of the most prominent organizations I’ve found that aligns with student interest is the Charles Foundation. Founded in 2011, the Charles Foundation is community organization aimed at advocating for community safety, common-sense gun legislation, curbing the school-to-prison pipeline, and creating a supportive atmosphere for - [My Experience at the U School](https://www.efsphilly.org/2022/05/25/my-experience-at-the-u-school/) - As I concluded my time at the U School, we were setting students up for summer internships in sustainability fields and to sign up for Anna's summer program where students would be learning about sustainability and fulfilling different tasks in community gardens and around the school. I was also helping students to finish their senior ## Pages - [About](https://www.efsphilly.org/) - Philadelphia STEM Education for Sustainability — Linking Schools and Communities (EFS Philly) is an initiative which aims to expand student access and engagement in "Green STEM" through the cultivation of teacher and student leaders, as well as authentic collaboration with community members and organizations. Funded by a 2021 PASmart Advancing Grant, the initiative seeks to - [Our Process](https://www.efsphilly.org/our-process/) - Getting Started Identifying Your Students Which students will you engage in your project? Does your team have a common group of students? Will you involve students who do not have every member of your team as a teacher? Can and will you recruit teachers outside of the EFS fellowship to engage with portions of your - [Schools](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/) - William W. Bodine High School Murrel Dobbins CTE High School Frankford High School School of the Future Abraham Lincoln High School Jules E. Mastbaum High School Paul Robeson High School W.B. Saul High School U School The Workshop School YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School - [Partners](https://www.efsphilly.org/partners/) - The EFS initiative was supported by the Pennsylvania Department of education through a PAsmart Advancing Grant, to support high-quality Green STEM education, teacher professional development, to promote student entry into Green STEM careers. This generous funding enabled us to pay teachers, students, and undergraduate interns for their time, as well as provide a variety of - [Mission & Vision](https://www.efsphilly.org/mission-vision/) - The mission of EFS Philly is to: Make STEM learning directly relevant to students' lived realities and material concerns Build student agency in the remediation social shortfalls and mitigation of ecological stresses Expanding student access and engagement in GreenSTEM Education for Sustainability through teacher professional development and intentional community building Connecting school learning to civic - [Youthbuild Philadelphia Charter School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/youthbuild/) - Details coming soon… - [Workshop School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/workshop-school/) - Details coming soon… - [The U School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/u-school/) - Details coming soon… - [School of the Future](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/school-of-the-future/) - Details coming soon… - [Walter B. Saul High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/saul/) - Details coming soon… - [Paul Robeson High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/robeson/) - Details coming soon… - [Jules E. Mastbaum High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/mastbaum/) - [Abraham Lincoln High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/lincoln-high-school/) - [Frankford High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/frankford-high-school/) - Details coming soon… - [Muriel Dobbins CTE High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/dobbins/) - Details coming soon… - [William W. Bodine High School](https://www.efsphilly.org/schools/bodine/) - Details coming soon… ## Categories - [Bodine](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/bodine/) - [Dobbins](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/dobbins/) - [Frankford](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/frankford/) - [School of the Future](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/school-of-the-future/) - [Lincoln](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/lincoln/) - [Mastbaum](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/mastbaum/) - [Robeson](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/robeson/) - [Saul](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/saul/) - [U School](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/u-school/) - [Workshop School](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/workshop-school/) - [Youthbuild](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/youthbuild/) - [Student Reflections](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/student-reflections/) - [Teacher Reflections](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/teacher-reflections/) - [Intern Reflections](https://www.efsphilly.org/category/intern-reflections/) ## Tags - [sustainability](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/sustainability/) - [gun violence](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/gun-violence/) - [safe neighborhoods](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/safe-neighborhoods/) - [outdoor classroom](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/outdoor-classroom/) - [cross-curricular](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/cross-curricular/) - [student voice](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/student-voice/) - [competencies](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/competencies/) - [agency](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/agency/) - [Identity](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/identity/) - [community](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/community/) - [sexual orientation](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/sexual-orientation/) - [PAR](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/par/) - [Frankford](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/frankford/) - [Obstacles](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/obstacles/) - [Place-Based Education](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/place-based-education/) - [Indigenous](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/indigenous/) - [relationships](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/relationships/) - [garden](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/garden/) - [development](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/development/) - [teacher reflections](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/teacher-reflections/) - [advocacy](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/advocacy/) - [activism](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/activism/) - [Renewable Resources](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/renewable-resources/) - [Student Leader](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/student-leader/) - [Solar power](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/solar-power/) - [Wind power](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/wind-power/) - [Earth Day](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/earth-day/) - [Renewable Energy](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/renewable-energy/) - [Urban Creators](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/urban-creators/) - [Makerspace](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/makerspace/) - [GreenBuild](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/greenbuild/) - [Wind Energy](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/wind-energy/) - [Community Partners](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/community-partners/) - [Legislation](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/legislation/) - [Music](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/music/) - [environmental justice](https://www.efsphilly.org/tag/environmental-justice/)