Brief SummaryFrederick Adventist Academy is located equidistant from the metropolitan areas of Baltimore and Washington D.C. in the more rural Frederick County. The school opened in 1949 in the basement of a church in downtown Frederick. After several other locations, it settled on its existing location in 1994. Currently, we have approximately 90 students in our PK-8th grade program.
Some Green initiatives were added during initial building construction. Bathroom faucets were equipped with automatic sensors as a way to conserve water and some of the lights were designed to turn on and off automatically to help conserve energy. But there was not a vision to intentionally be Green. In 2014, Frederick Adventist Academy deliberately began moving towards a greener culture. Our staff recognized the need to promote environmental awareness and sustainability in our students. We wanted to make sure that when students left our school, they took with them the important lesson that being a good steward of the earth begins with them. The school began an after school environmental club which sparked student interest and student led projects. Since then, we’ve started a student led recycling project, planted raised garden beds, added a composting bin, designed an outdoor classroom area, and intentionally embedded environmental education projects throughout the curriculum. Teachers are now actively looking for ways to continue their own environmental education pathways by participating in continuing education programs that help them bring environmental education into the classroom. Teachers and students have participated in programs with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Fox Haven Farm, Montgomery County Recycling, and Mt. Aetna Camp and Retreat Center. All of these programs have given our teachers and students a new appreciation for the care of our earth. We know that our students are making an impact on our local campus. Our Home and School (PTA) has joined our efforts by helping us reduce our impact on landfills by moving us away from all styrofoam products and organizing a Lunchskins school wide fundraiser to promote Waste Less Lunches. Our school board recently revamped our vision statement to include an intentional focus on the environment. We recognize that we have more work to do: we want to move towards green cleaning products, a Trout in the Classroom program for middle school students, and continue with our garden program to be able to help the Frederick Rescue Mission with some of our produce. Our goal is to connect all of our students with the community by addressing local environmental issues and help make a Greener world. |
Five Top Initiatives
- Garden Beds: Added six raised garden beds in our outdoor classroom area.
- Outdoor School: All first through 8th graders attend outdoor school at Mt. Aetna Camp and Retreat Center learning about nature and environmental issues.
- Water bottle filling station: Installed a water bottle refilling station to help change the way students consume and perceive water.
- Saving Paper: All weekly school and classroom newsletter are sent home via e-mail to conserve paper.
- School-wide recycling program: Recycle bins are prominently placed in each classroom, offices, and hallways.