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Spotlight: BioScience High School

Last week we spoke to Jen and Brendan about the great work going on at Tempe High School. This week we’re catching up with Katie to learn more about BioScience.

Q – Can you tell us a bit about the BioScience High Team? Aren’t you the only Fellow there?
A – I am the only fellow assigned to Bioscience this year, but Braden Kay, one of the past fellows at Bioscience, is still involved in implementing projects related to his dissertation. BHS is unique in that nearly every teacher (in a staff of about 20) is involved in sustainability projects, which makes our ‘team’ very versatile and interesting. All staff help coordinate the Connection Endeavors projects (more on this below), and most integrate sustainability principles, critical systems thinking, community engagement, and applied sustainability projects into their courses.

Q – This is BHS’s third year in the Sustainable Schools program, right? There must be a lot going on there!
A – Yes, BHS is a pretty established school in the program, and it has been home to some really committed fellows. Like I mentioned, Braden is still involved in and/or passed on the responsibility of some projects that were underway. Some of these projects include Connection Endeavors, Valley of the Sunflowers, and the CAN project. I’m also picking up his mentoring role in the E-Tech club.
Since there has been such great GK-12 fellow activity in the past, and since a lot of sustainability projects are imbedded in the Bioscience curriculum, there are actually quite a few projects I was able to jump on right away.

Q – Wow! That sounds like a lot! Can you tell us more?
A – Sure! Let’s start with the Connection Endeavors (CE). It is a year-long service-learning project. Each student choses from one of the following arenas: 1) Local Food (In partnership with Growhouse and the Downtown Phoenix Public Market), 2) Urban Vibrancy (In partnership with Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation), and 3) Elementary Education (In partnership with Garfield Elementary School). Within each arena, students will use a seven-step sustainability transition management process to go from problem understanding and visioning to implementation and evaluation. Through using a seven-step process we hope to ensure student derive impactful community-based projects that meet community and student needs. I have been helping orchestrate this overall CE Plan, as well as work with the freshman as they learn the seven steps, and start applying them to campus projects.

Another project I’m working on is the Community Action for Nutrition (CAN) project that is a part of the Health & Fitness course. The class is partnering with the Roosevelt Row’s community garden, Growhouse, to conduct a yearlong endeavor that will help freshman link the food system to health. As an extension of their classroom experience, each of them will grow an edible plant at home in a recycled container. So far, we have taken the freshman over to Growhouse three times to learn about gardening tips. All the students have chosen a recycled container, prepared the soil, planted seeds, and are maintaining the plant.

I’m also one of the main mentors for the E-Tech club. The E-Tech club empowers students to explore, create and think about the world. Students participate in environmental and adventure education and form teams to develop leadership and technical skills. The club is meant to support a wide range of activities and is catalyzing changes at the school through the promoting green technologies, building garden and recreation equipment, and other projects. Some of their current projects include: building an alternative energy car, chicken coops, recreational facilities, and gardens. I’ve helped facilitate some of these project plans, and am currently helping secure funding and other resources so they can start!

Q – I just recently saw this video on the news about Valley of the Sunflowers. Does Sustainable Schools have anything to do with that?
A – As a matter of fact, yes! I’m not actually directly involved, but this was one of Braden’s projects over the last year, and it is just now taking off. Valley of the Sunflowers (VOS) operates through Roosevelt Row CDC and includes many community partners, including Bioscience High School. The goal is to reduce urban blight by temporarily activating and beautifying a prominent 2‐acre brownfield site located behind Bioscience by planting sunflowers. Bioscience staff and students have helped prepare the site, and plant the seeds, and will eventually help harvest the seeds and create a biofuel from the sunflower oil. The biodiesel will power the hybrid solar/biofuel vehicle, currently in production in the E-tech club. VOS is getting a ton of great press, and is really inspiring a lot of similar ideas within Bioscience and throughout downtown Phoenix.

Q – Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
A – There are a few other class projects going on at Bioscience that deal with composting, biodiesel and alternative energies, issues related to a local Superfund site, campus improvements, and others. I look forward to sitting in on more classes and getting to know more about all the ‘going ons’ so I can figure out where else I can be a resource.