Spotlight on Sustainability
The Board of Directors of SRV adopted a resolution earlier this year recognizing sustainability as "a vital overarching concept" that the school "will incorporate as an integral part of its educational mission... and in our role as stewards of our environment. . . ." A sustainability committee was formed, comprised of board members, staff and parents, with a goal this year to document a sustainability plan based on economic, environmental and societal categories.
The latest sustainability effort at SRV is the purchase and erection of a 'polyhouse', a plastic or polythene tunnel or greenhouse, as part of the Organic Garden and Learning Center (OGLC). This recent campus installation, built by 5th and 6th grade students and staff, will be used to house potting tables and start seedlings in the winter months to get a jumpstart on the growing season and harvest. The crops grown under the polyhouse are safe from unfavorable environments, weather and animals. Students will be growing flowers, plants, vegetables and herbs to be planted in SRV's garden and also sold at the school's May Fair plant sale to raise money to support the garden itself.
