IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2016

E L E M E N TA R Y Brentwood Elementary Schools “Roll out the Barrels” To Conserve Water C ITSC YO HO F MC O L KE DI ST ES RI POR C TTNE NEWS WS cKeespor tBorough rentwood Brentwood Borough School District Students at Elroy and Moore Elementary schools in the Brentwood Borough School District are getting a first-hand look at how to conserve water by participating in the Barrels to the Bay Water Conservation Program. The Barrels to the Bay program originated in the Annapolis, Maryland area with the goal of educating community members about the world’s water issues and the importance of water conservation. Art teacher Barb Girone, librarian Megan Casey and 5th grade teacher Rebecca Hagerty signed up for the program when it expanded into Allegheny County, making Brentwood one of the first 40 school districts to participate in southwestern Pennsylvania. “The world only has so much fresh water. Teaching students about water conservation while having them work on their own water barrel is a great way for them to think about this big issue and how they can do their part right here in Brentwood,” said Casey, who is co-teaching with Girone to all the second graders in the district. Students learned about the water cycle, ways to conserve water, and the effects of storm water runoff during their scheduled library classes. In art class, the students prepared the 50 gallon barrel (a re-purposed Coca-Cola syrup barrel) by sanding, priming, and painting it with a design chosen by the class. "The students were amazed that they could recycle rain water to be used in other ways. The whole project has generated a lot of conversation about the water cycle throughout the grade levels. It was a lot of fun to co teach this with Megan and provide the students with a different perspective on water in the world," said Girone. Moore’s fifth grade students are preparing their barrel as part of a science unit taught by Hagerty. All three barrels will be placed in prominent locations in Brentwood once they are finished. Squonk Opera Visits Elroy Elementary Elroy Elementary had a special visit from local Pittsburgh performing group Squonk Opera. The Squonk Opera performed their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) based show Pneumatica, which was all about the science of air. Through the Squonk Opera’s inventions and with music, the students learned about Pascal’s Law, Bernoulli’s Principle, the science of musical instruments and air, toroidal vortexes, and air as energy. The students were amazed with the Squonk Opera’s energetic and entertaining performance, which was made possible by the Squonk’s educational outreach and grants from the Grable Foundation, the Buhl Foundation, and RAD. 82 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall

IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2016 | Page 84