Hampstead Hill Academy Celebrates Organic Garden and Eco-Living

Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA) will celebrate recent enhancements to the school's organic garden and efforts to reduce the school's impact on the environment on Thursday, May 26, 2011 from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm. The celebration will be part of a Hampstead Hill Nights Family Fun Event.

HHA has positioned itself as a leader in sustainability and community engagement. A student-led Green Expo will provide education about energy and water conservation and waste reduction through games, print materials, and prizes.

During the entertainment break around 7:00 pm HHA will officially dedicate a new garden mural, which was created by HHA students in partnership with the Creative Alliance.

Following the dedication, attendees will enjoy a garden art reception and have the opportunity to appreciate recent sustainable garden additions, including rain barrels and drip irrigation.

Thanks to a partnership with Waste Neutral Group, all food and paper waste from the event will be composted!

The event will take place from 5:30 until 8:00 pm, with live music starting at 6:00 pm. The mural dedication will occur around 7:00 pm. For more information, contact Chrissa Carlson at chrissacarlson@gmail.com.

Hampstead Hill Participates in Sustainability Challenge

Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA) joined over 30 other Baltimore City Schools as leaders in sustainability through a Baltimore City Schools Sustainability Challenge grant.

Students at HHA, led by Food for Life teacher Chrissa Carlson, completed a "Trash to Treasures" project. The grant funds were used to implement and document activities at the school that conserve and reuse resources, and demonstrate to the community how they can take action at home.

Drip irrigation lines, fed by rain barrels, helped water beds in the school's organic garden using stored rainwater from rain barrels, and waste from the annual Hampstead Hill Nights events was composted to organic soil amendments for the garden.

The Conservation Team documented their work and shared information on conserving water and energy, and reducing waste at a Green Expo during the final Hampstead Hill Nights event on May 26th.

Students also shared their work, along with other grant recipients, at a celebration with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on May 21st.

Thank you to Baltimore City Public Schools, the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Baltimore Office of Sustainability; and the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge for supporting Hampstead Hill Academy.

Hampstead Hill Awarded MAEF Grant

Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA) has received a grant from the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF) to fund the installation of a wash station in the school's organic vegetable garden.

In response to student requests for food preparation activities in the garden, and to increase opportunities for safe tasting of garden fruits, vegetables, and herbs, funds were sought to install a sink that can be used to wash hands and freshly harvested produce and herbs.

The wash stand was constructed by parent volunteers during a garden workday, using a reclaimed kitchen sink from the Loading Dock.

Thank you to MAEF for supporting Hampstead Hill Academy and congratulations to Chrissa Carlson for writing the grant proposal!

To learn more about MAEF visit: http://www.maefonline.com/

MGP Helps Collington Student Step Outside of Comfort Zone

Middle Grades Partnership student Sabriaya used to get picked on for being a good student at Collington Square School of the Arts. “I have always been a geek,” she jokes, but not fitting in was hurting her self-esteem. So, when she was invited to participate in the Middle Grades Partnership program, she welcomed the opportunity to learn in a new environment.

Read more at the Middle Grades Partnership website:
http://www.middlegradespartnership.org/tabid/169/itemid/29/default.aspx

Hampstead Hill Academy Class Reunion 2007

Hampstead Hill Academy is holding a Class of 2007 Reunion on Wednesday May 18, 2011 from 4:00 – 6:00pm in the Hampstead Hill Academy Cafeteria. We are looking for all 45 students and all Staff Members who attended or worked at Hampstead Hill from 1999 - 2007. Classmates and staff only.

RSVP: Tish1749@aol.com (Mrs. Patricia Jones) or 410-396-9147

BCP Spring 2011 Newsletter

Check out the BCP Spring 2011 Newsletter at:
http://www.baltimorecp.org/newsletter/Class_Notes_Spring_2011.pdf

Collington Square School Hosts Health Fair

On April 2nd Collington Square School hosted the 2011 East Baltimore Health and Wellness Fair.

The day kicked off with opening remarks by Elev8 staff member Borndavid McCraw; Collington Square School Principal Etta Johnson; Baltimore Curriculum Project Chief Academic Officer Jon McGill; Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; U.S. Senator Ben Cardin; and Maryland State Senator Bill Ferguson.

The health fair included health screenings, health resources, workshops, music, children's activities, and more.

BCP Executive Vice President Larry Schugam and Communications & Development Associate Virginia Cobler volunteered at the Urban Health Institute's Community Health Initiative table.

The Community Health Initiative is a collaborative effort to improve the health and well-being of residents of all ages who live in East Baltimore through sustainable health collaborations, initially focused on a community health assessment and specific health interventions.

Schugam also helped Earl Johnson, Executive Director of One Green Home at a Time Foundation, pass out hundreds of free children's books as part of One Green Home's Bookmocycle Project.

We would like to thank Elev8 Baltimore, Baltimore Medical System, Johns Hopkins Student Outreach Resource Center (SOURCE), and Johns Hopkins Children's Center for organizing and sponsoring this event.