An interview with our secretary

Carmela is one of our 5th grade student Video Journalists (VJ). She had some extra time after school on a half-day to practice her video shooting skills and was able to interview Mrs. Stoeffler, our school secretary. Watch and learn what she does!

Interview with School Secretary from Anthony Gettig on Vimeo.

3rd Grade Store

Part of the third grade curriculum has students creating marketing materials to sell school supplies to second graders. They give their prospective customers the choice between normal and eco-friendly products. This video shows what happened at the second attempt to sell eco-friendly items to second grade students.

3rd Grade Store Project from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Kindergarten Trip to the Garden

Kindergarten classes recently visited the garden at Pretty Lake. Here's a video that shows what they did!

Kindergarten Visits the Garden from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

First Day of School 2009

What an exciting morning it was at Edison Environmental Science Academy this morning! Teachers were making last minute tidy's to their rooms, the office was buzzing with parents, phone calls, and questions, and students began the year with warm welcomes from local celebrities. All of that happened before 8:00 AM!

We had a plethora of celebrity greeters to welcome students and parents alike back to another year of learning. Check out this roster of who's who in Kalamazoo!

• Mayor Bobby Hopewell
• Chief of Police Jeff Hadley
• KPS Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice
• Reverend Louis Felton
• State Representative Robert Jones

These were just a few of the smiling faces awaiting the arrival of students. Each was equipped with a class list to make sure students knew where their classroom was. Sometimes, they would even walk the student right to class!

We are looking forward to a great school year at Edison. Keep an eye on this blog or follow our Twitter to keep up to date with all the great things happening!

Teachers Learning How To Make Videos

One of the things we have integrated into our blog, curriculum, and culture at Edison is the power of video. What used to cost multiple tens of thousands of dollars can now be created with easily accessible laptops, hand-held cameras, and a vision.

August 18-20, 2009, we had the wonderful opportunity to have video journalism training with an expert in the field. Robb Montgomery of Visual Editors provided three days of training to many of our staff. This video provides an overview of the training and the kind of rich media you can expect to see from our teachers and students as we continue to Make A Difference!

Classroom Video Journalism from Anthony Gettig on Vimeo.

Building Scarecrows

Remember when we designed our scarecrows? Today we built them! Watch and see how our ideas went from paper to the garden.

Building Scarecrows from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Week 5 in review, week 6 is underway!

Week 5 of Garden Camp was full of so many exciting things! Remember when we made pickles? We were able to taste test some of them last week and they were very yummy!

We also went to Ms. Pat's horse farm and rode horses. We learned that horses are prey animals and can get scared. We were very careful and the horses were too. By the end of our time there, they were friendly enough that they were eating right from our hands! That's because we also took time to create a yummy snack made just for horses.

On Thursday, we had a full day. We started the morning at the farmer's market in Kalamazoo. We also went swimming at Kik Pool and had lunch at Food Dance Cafe. The owner of Food Dance Cafe came out to greet us as well. They make their food with ingredients that they get from local farmers. The food was so yummy!

Our student bloggers have been busy writing in their journals (yes, pencil and paper!) but they have resumed blogging today. Here's what they had to say about the questions, "Why is it important to take care of our earth? How do you care for our planet?"

Elexus

7- 20 -09:It is important to keep our earth clean because if it was not clean it would look descusting and if it look descuting no one would want to live there.Icare for are planet so much because I love it and with out it I am nothing.

Brian

7-20-09 It is important to give our earth care because our earth is going bad and doesn't have enough care and needs a lot more care.We can take care of the earth by the three R's and don't do nothing bad for earth.

Week 5 of Garden Camp Has Begun!

Can you believe we have been at Garden Camp for 4 weeks already? With just 2 weeks of camp left, we are as busy as ever learning and having fun!

Chores on a farm need to be done every day and today is no exception. We worked in the garden and took care of the animals, making sure they have the food and water they need to grow. Speaking of the animals, our chickens are very close to producing eggs! They used to be little chicks but now they are growing up. In addition to the little chicks, Ms. Pat brought 3 chickens that were already able to lay eggs over. We are getting a few eggs now, but in a couple of weeks, we will have a lot more!

We also played a really neat board game that Mr. Johnson created. It was about the business of farming. It was a lot of fun. In the afternoon, Mr. Johnson taught us about profit with a really cool lesson. Some of us were buyers and some were sellers. After that, we worked together to figure out how much it cost to make our pickles last week. We also decided how much to sell them for at the farmers market.

Student Blog Entries July 9, 2009

Well, more than just July 9. Since we were at the zoo yesterday, here are entries from the past couple of days. We are talking about habitats this week.

Carmela:

7-7-09: If I was a frog I'd would live in a muddy area were I can look like mud.Snakes would never expect me! I'd also like to live in a habitat were there are insects,ponds and mud. It would be like if I was part of nature.

7-9-09: My favorite animal at the zoo was the zebras. I really like its habitat. Because it was BIG! It was so big that there was other animals. There was a pond that was covered up with algae. I really enjoy going to the zoo.

Brian:

7-7-09 If I were a deer my habitat would be in the woods with water and food thats right for a deer.

7-8-09 My favorite animal from the zoo was a monkey.A habitat is a home like place for animals to live.Food and water and the things the animals needs for it to look like home.

Look for the scarecrows

We have a big garden at Pretty Lake this year and we are working hard to take care of it. We don't want the birds and other animals to take what we are growing, so we decided to add some scarecrows! Watch this video and see how we designed them.

Making Scarecrows from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

We are scientists in the wetlands!

On July 2, we spent the morning in the wetlands around Pretty Lake observing the different kinds of life there. We took samples of some of the things we saw there and brought them back to our classroom so we could identify them. See for yourself with this video!

Wetlands Field Study from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Student Blog Entries July 2, 2009

It's a cold day at Garden Camp today. Highs will be in the mid-60's with scattered rain. But the cold weather isn't dampening spirits here! We have an exciting day planned, including going fishing! We will post pictures taken by students once we have them.

Here's what one student blogger had to say this morning.

Carmela:

7-2-09: What is pollution? Where does it come from? How can it help you? Pollution is like when a chemical from a factory goes through a pipe into like a body of water like a lake or ocean. Then it becomes dirty. We can help by being organic and we shouldn't use chemicals.

Chickens? Yes! Chickens!

Chickens! from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Catching up on the blog

It has been a busy week at Garden Camp! The Internet connection has been slow too, so we have been a little bit behind getting blog entries posted. But never fear, our sharp students have been working offline and saving their entries for you. We have been keeping our Flickr stream updated. In fact, between Carmela, Brian, Elexus, and Mr. Gettig, we have taken over 500 pictures this week alone!

Here's what Carmela had to say this week:

6-29- 09 : I really enjoy videotaping others. Because you can make a story without writing. There will always be a beginning,middle and end. Videotaping is harder then its looks. Its faster then making a book.

6-30-09: do you think it was cold this morning? I do. Today I and everybody went on a hike. I got to take pictures of a decomposing tree and a decomposer which is something that eats dead things . I go to take a lot of pictures of nature. Don't you you think nature is pretty ? If you do leave a comment. Tell all about it. I'll read it.

7-1-09: Yesterday I really had fun. I can't stop talking about it. I hardly see marshes,wetlands and swamps. I had to out watch out for poison ivy. I discover a diving beetle.Also Zack found a beach which is a beetle and a leach together. I also saw an american toad. Well, there is so much to talk about in one day. Bye! :)!

From Elexus:

7-1-09:yesterday I really had fun.I can not stop thinking about it I am going to tell you about some of the things we caught but not yet I am going to a lot about this gray tree I saw and I think it disolves so that it keeps ants or bug of it so that it could live. now I am going to tell you about what we caught salomns and tadpoles and diving beatle and a soloman with gils the end .

Look for a video about the chickens and the wetlands field study later today!

Construction at Edison

During the Summer of 2009, Edison is under some serious construction. Below is a video that highlights the construction of the Video Production Studio that will be operational this Fall.

Construction of Production Studio from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Picking and Jamming

We picked them fresh yesterday, and today we made strawberry jam! Watch and see how yummy strawberry jam is made by Edison Garden Camp students!

Making Jam from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Picking Strawberries

Here is a look at our visit to the strawberry patch. As you can see, there is a lot to learn at a fruit farm!

Picking Strawberries at Garden Camp from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Student Blog Entries June 24, 2009

Yesterday, we wrote the old fashioned way...on paper! It is a good way to practice handwriting so we are balancing writing in journals with blogging throughout the camp. Today we have blog posts from Brian and Elexus as they answer the question, "Would you like to be a strawberry grower?"

Brian:

No because all that time in the sun would be really annoying and you could get sunburn.

Elexus:

No because it is horrible out in the sun and it is kind of disgusting when you touch parts that have been bit out of.

Today, we are making strawberry jam from the strawberries we picked yesterday. We will have video of this interesting and yummy process when it is done.

Daily Chores - Gardening

There are many things that have to be done every day at a farm. One of our daily chores is to work in the garden area. Here is a video that shows a typical morning planting in the garden.

Daily Chores - Gardening from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Student Blog Entries June 22, 2009

Carmela didn't make it Garden Camp today, so the responsibility for blogging falls on Brian's shoulders! Here's what he has to say as we start week #2 of Garden Camp.

From Brian:

Where did your juice come from?Its called mixed berry so it must be from berries.I expect to see a lot of strawberries and a lot of boating.I have a new friend here at garden camp and his name is Zack.

Student Blog Entries June 18, 2009

From Brian:

Yesterday we picked weeds and I thought I had a allergic reaction to one of the weeds,but i didn't.We did some farm chores and I met Ms.Pat's husband,son, her son's wife,and Ms.Christy who had plants to give us.These are three reasons I like garden camp so far.(1)I am apart of the vj/video journalists,(2)Everybody gets to have a fun time with Mr.Johnson,Mr.Gettig,and Ms.Butter Fingers.(3)Everybody's so nice.

From Carmela:

Q: What do stems do?
A: Stems support plants like making them stand, helping water and nutrients get inside the plant which help it grow. We also did an experiment with celery. We put the stems in regular water and blue colored water and today the stem and plant were greenish blue. I was really surprised by the results I think it will also surprise you too! :) !

Planting Experiment

Filmed by Edison VJ Carmela, this video shows the setup of a planting experiment by two students attending Garden Camp.

Garden Camp Planting Experiment from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Student Blog Entries June 17, 2009

Two of the students attending Garden Camp are learning to shoot video and use Internet tools like blogging. They are the documentary filmmakers and student video journalists (VJ's) for our camp.

One component of Garden Camp is daily journaling. The VJ's will be periodically making blog entries for themselves and for the younger students at camp. Here are blog entries from each.

From Brian:

I learned how to use a tripod and I got to record kids in the garden picking weeds and putting benches in the garden to look at the garden without standing you can relax and see our wonder garden.Don't be afraid of our wonderful garden,and garden club out at pretty lake vacation camp.I have been at garden camp for 2 years and why stop there I could work with garden camp when I get older.S please don't keep me away from garden camp.

From Carmela:

Yesterday I went swimming at Pretty Lake with Mr.Johnson, Ms.Smith, Ms.Pat.and Mr.Gettig . We also went fishing. At least three (3) of the boys caught a fish. Mr. Gettig took a picture of the fisher boys and their fish. We also took a swimming test. There was also a lifeguard . His name is Zack. He'll save you if you drown. Then free swam and change and left to Edison.

Garden Camp 2009 Day 1

Garden Camp 2009 kicked off today with a fantastic time at the farm! We are at Pretty Lake this summer and looking forward to learning and fun.

On this first day, we took a tour of the areas we will be spending time in and did a little bit of work. Some planted in the garden while others painted crates for the chickens to lay eggs in. We also took time out to "chillax" and read in peace and quiet. We also had a wonderful lesson called "Rooting for the roots" where we found plants with big roots, brought them back to the classroom, and took scientific measurements with rulers and magnifying glasses.

Like last year, we will be posting pictures, videos, and written updates from Garden Camp. We also have some students shooting and editing video this year. Here is a video that was made by two 5th grade students and Mr. Gettig. Check back often to see more great happenings at Garden Camp 2009!

Garden Camp 2009 Day 1 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Two Spanish Language Public Service Announcements

Over the past several weeks, Spanish speaking students at Edison have been working closely with Spanish class students from Kalamazoo College. The goal: to produce Public Service Announcements for the benefit of the Spanish speaking community in the West Michigan region. Edison students were involved in every step of the process, from brainstorming script ideas to shooting video.

The two videos produced cover the topics of Type 2 Diabetes and Pesticides. Check them out here, pass along the link to others, and let us know if you know of someone that could benefit from seeing these.

Congratulations to Ms. Vo, Ms. Alia, and all the Edison students that made this project happen! We are so proud of the bilingual students at our school and the important job they did to get this information in a format that will benefit the Spanish speaking community!

La Diabetes Tipo 2 PSA from Anthony Gettig on Vimeo.

Pesticidas PSA from Anthony Gettig on Vimeo.

2nd Grade Planting Experiment - Week 2

Week two brought some surprises for the second grade students in Mrs. McElroy's class. Watch and see what started growing and where!

2nd Grade Growing Week 2 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Baby Chicks at Garden Club

This blog started in the summer of 2008 when we started to chronicle the great things happening in our Garden Camp. The enthusiasm and success of the summer program was carried into the school year and now we are preparing for Garden Camp 2009.

Like all living things, we are growing! Garden Camp this summer will be at Pretty Lake Vacation Camp. We are very excited to be able to partner with the wonderful people there, especially Ms. Woollam. She loves the outdoors, gardening, and most importantly, children! Watch this video and see what we're doing in Garden Club...and get a taste of what Garden Camp will be like!

Baby Chicks at Garden Club from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

2nd Grade Planting Experiment - Week 1

Second grade students are addressing the question "How does economics affect what crops or livestock are produced?" in unit 4 of the new Magnet curriculum. Like all the wonderful teachers at Edison Environmental Science Academy, Mrs. McElroy is leading her students through the inquiry process to find answers to the questions the students created when discussing this.

This is the first video in a series as we track the progress of this exciting scientific inquiry by the amazing second grade students at Edison.

2nd Grade Planting - Week 1 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Teacher Appreciation Assembly

On May 5, 2009, the entire school assembled in the gymnasium for a very special award ceremony. Ms. Hillsman, the PTO President, led the students in cheering for their teachers and giving every teacher in the school a certificate of appreciation. Each also received a small potted plant in which were the seeds that had not sprouted yet. Ms. Hillsman said they represent the seeds that the teachers had planted over the years and the seeds they will plant in young people in the years ahead.

Take a moment today to contact your student's teacher and tell them you appreciate them!

A taste of history New Orleans style

Ms. Spicketts and her 5th grade class recently read the book "Satchmo's Blues", a story all about Louis Armstrong. Watch this video to see what they did to finish up their learning experience!

Cooking in 5th Grade from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

National Green Week Video - Accepted!

We are excited to share the great news that a video that Mr. Brinkman and his 3rd grade class made has been accepted for the National Green Week video competition. Here is a direct link to their site.

Congratulations to Mr. Brinkman's class!

Community Night Highlights

March 25 was a busy day at Edison Environmental Science Academy! Not only did we have Kindergarten orientation, but it was our third Community Night of the school year. Several students received merit awards and the hard work of every grade was on display for all to see. Here is a video that shows highlights from the evening. Join us for the next one in June!


Community Night March 25, 2009 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Kindergarten Orientation

Kindergarten orientation was this week. What a great time we had! New students and their parents had the opportunity to visit the school, meet the Kindergarten teachers, and even take a ride on a school bus! Here is a short highlight video.

Kindergarten Orientation 2009 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

3rd Grade Recycling

This video is a short update on a project in Mr. Brinkman's 3rd grade
classroom. The students have been learning about how devastating littering and inappropriate disposal of waste can affect our environment as well as our wallets. Here the students are picking up litter, sorting through it, and coming up with ideas for what to do with it.


3rd Grade Recyclers from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Bagels and Books 2009

Each year during Literacy Month, Kalamazoo Communities In Schools brings the Books and Bagels event to Edison Environmental Science Academy. Community leaders and volunteers take time to read with third grade students, share a bagel, and show they care. This video shows highlights of this year's event.

Books and Bagels 2009 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

LINKS Dedication Ceremony

The Kalamazoo chapter of The Links, Inc. Made a generous donation of books to the Edison library. We had many very special guests here for the event, including the chief of police, the mayor, and superintendent of schools. This video shows highlights of this wonderful occasion.

LINKS Dedication Ceremony from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

KCIS Board Presentation

Principal Chuck Tansey had the opportunity to speak to the board of Kalamazoo Comunities in Schools. Our VJ's (Video Journalist) were there to capture the event.


KCIS Presentation from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Kindergarten Energy Lesson

As Ms. Wright participates in a Kindergarten lesson study, she shares the purpose of the lesson and what the students are learning. Watch as Kindergarten students learn about energy, where it comes from, and how it is used, all within the context of our Magnet theme of Environmental Economics.


Kindergarten Energy Lesson from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

5th Grade Research Lesson

Join Ms. Cornillie and her students as they research new and old technologies, write reports, and prepare to present them to the class.


5th Grade Research Lesson from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

4th Grade Water Lesson

In the Great Lake State, we are surrounded by opportunities to use water for more than just drinking and pleasure. Water is a great natural resource for creating energy, jobs, and even entire communities. Watch as one of our 4th grade classrooms explore water and the environmental economic impact it has on our community.


Fourth Grade Water Lesson from Anthony Gettig on Vimeo.

Edison Podcast #4

On this episode, hear about the wonderful Community Night, the new VJ Club at Edison, sharing the good things at Edison on a national level, and a call for your pictures to post on this blog!

VJ Club

Here is a post that highlights our VJ Club...for those of you who don't know what "VJ" stands for...it stands for Video Journalism. This is a lunch program offered to the students who attend Edison Environmental Science Academy and is headed up by our resident Super Geek, Mr. Gettig.

3rd Grade Store

In this second quarter of learning, the 3rd grade had a project where they created a survey for 2nd graders to see what school supplies they might buy. They also gave them the opportunity to buy recycled or non-recycled supplies. Here is how that assignment looked in action.

Back for the New Year

Our last blog post was in November, but that doesn't mean we weren't busy in December! Holiday time in a school brings many learning opportunities. December in Michigan adds to that fun with snow and more snow!

The entire second grade went to a landfill and learned about the systems in place there. They learned about recycling and where garbage goes when it leaves our homes. It doesn't just disappear, but it has to go somewhere. They also learned about the opportunities for alternative energy sources from landfills. It was cold, but it was a trip well worth it!

What would the holiday season be without a holiday program? Our music teachers organized a wonderful event for all of our students to participate in and for our families to enjoy. Here is an Animoto showing some pictures of the program.



There was a lot of work on the new curriculum in December. Mr. Johnson and the rest of the dedicated staff have been hard at work refining the work that was started over a year ago. The teachers are teaching the new curriculum, video taping each other for critical review, and look forward to making it even better.

Looking forward, the second half of the school year has a lot of exciting things in store for us. Camp, Community Nights, student created video and audio podcasts, and more learning centered around theme of Environmental Economics. The best is yet to come!