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Indian Springs School
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 At Indian Springs School, a boarding and day school for grades 8-12, environmentalism is so much more than a concept in science class. Bob Pollard, Chair of the Science Department and teacher of environmental science for Indian Spring’s 8th graders leans back in his seat to talk about growing up green and the many ways in which the school actively participates in what they teach about ecology.
For instance, the new science building in which he works has quite a few green elements built in the very design. “The placement of the windows lets in a lot of ambient light so we don’t depend on the use of fluorescent bulbs as much,” he says. “And the roofing material is energy efficient.”
Of course, when they do use fluorescent light, the bulbs are energy efficient compacts.
Plus the building sports two giant cisterns for water collection which they use for irrigation in the Fertile Minds orchard in which students grow and harvest their own vegetables.
The Fertile Minds program is probably the biggest example of green consciousness found on the campus. On any given day you’ll find Bob and his students learning about ecology and agriculture in the orchard, at the chicken coop or in the outdoor classroom the school built a few years ago. Classes called environmental sciences and sustainable development teach sustainability in economics, the environment, society, agriculture, energy and architecture.
The programs started six to seven years ago, exemplifying the “learning through living” philosophy of the school. Most of the building of the orchard and outdoor classroom was funded by donations from alumni and parents. A half acre grew to double the size with those donations and help from Nick Pihakis, the owner of Jim & Nick’s restaurants and an Indian Springs parent. He helped with financial donations and lots of labor from volunteers from his staff. Mr. Pollard credits Mr. Pihakis with the big boost that brought the project to fruition, not just with financial help but with everyone from Jim and Nick’s kitchen staff to managers pitching in to help develop the site.
“It (the orchard) is a unique design,” says Mr. Pollard. “A landscape architect designed it to have somewhat of an English garden style instead of in traditional rows.”
This unique design, along with other elements of the orchard makes it ripe for incorporating various types of learning. For instance, English classes have plays in the garden. And its design is perfect for teaching geometry classes about polygons. The activities in the orchard encompass almost all of the sciences from biology to the environmental classes Mr. Pollard teaches.
“The outdoor classroom is a great place to learn,” says Mr. Pollard. “Kids love to be outside.
Plus, the orchard and the Fertile Minds concept are incorporated into the very fabric of the school so that the environmental principles taught there are put into practice campus wide. For instance, the school recycles all of the vegetable refuse from the kitchen, which can be substantial because they serve a lot of fresh vegetable thanks to produce from the orchard. That refuse is composted and in turn used to fertilize the orchard’s produce. They also recycle vegetable oil to make bio diesel fuel which is used for buses.
Another great example of putting environmental lessons into practice is Mr. Pollard’s class project to build a functional wind generator last semester.
“We’re going to use the generator down at the orchard to provide power for led lights in the outdoor classroom,” he says. “Hopefully we’ll do that every year so we’ll have a series of generators along the fencline. This semester we’re building a solar panel which will be part of a hybrid system in the orchard to power lights.
All of this teaches a seed to table approach in which students learn to plant the seeds, nurture them, take them into the dining hall and then recycle what’s left to start all over again.
“They’ll know how to grow their own food and prepare it. They’ll know what is healthy and what is not healthy,” says Mr. Pollard. “They’ll know how simple it is to produce some of your own power. They’ll come away with those concepts in mind and hopefully employ them wherever they go.”
“And, they’ll have a sense that they’re part of the solution. Even though you’re 14 years old you can still be part of the solution, just by making the right choices….turning off the lights for instance. Fifty per cent of our energy problems can be solved through conservation. I’m hoping that they will come away with a concern about the environment because it will affect them and their children.”
“In general, the ‘green’ consciousness of the kids here is very high,” Mr. Pollard says. “They’re generally very concerned about things and want to be an agent of change in the future.”
The sustainability and environmental lessons taught by Indian Springs and Mr. Pollard is part of a wide-ranging curriculum that covers all facets of life and learning through living not just academics. It shows that the Indian Springs campus is a community that cares about not only their school but also about the world. Attending school there is a unique opportunity a child will have that will not only shape their lives but possibly the world.
Mr. Pollard says “it gives them a sense of pride to grow these things and use these systems. It instills in these kids that they can be very self-sufficient.
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