Nurturing gardens, bodies & minds
In the waning days of the 2021-22 school year, George Washington Middle School STEM students, along with their teacher, Mr. Alonzo Mitchell, put on a very cool demonstration of the bike-powered watering system they’ve been working on since December 2021.
The kids wowed the crowd, including ACPS parents, teachers, administrators and central office staff, Dominion Energy representatives and RunningBrooke staff, when they activated the garden sprinkler by pedaling the stationary bike that operates the pump to water the plants!
“This was a bright spot in a tough year,” Mr. Mitchell said. “I never minded staying after school to work on this, because this is the fun stuff, this is what learning’s all about. I’m so proud of my students for their hard work and determination.”
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The purpose of the project, the brainchild of RB that was funded by Dominion Energy, is multifold. The two main points, though, are to help them understand the positive effects of movement on their bodies and brains and how it sparks learning and to teach students about environmental sustainability.
Students will continue to tweak, maintain, grow gardens over the next couple of years, and we’ll continue to provide support whenever needed and pay a teacher stipend for extra out-of-school time.
Getting the project off the ground was a truly collaborative effort with the community. Thanks, everyone, for making this possible!
