Category Archives: Community Service

04.17.15
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TNCS’s Go-Green-for-Earth-Day Raffle!

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TNCS supports and uses green energy!

One of The New Century School‘s core values is a commitment to environmental sustainability, and TNCS demonstrates this commitment in a variety of ways. From serving lunch from homegrown or locally sourced produce, to running recycling campaigns, to powering the school buildings with green energy, TNCS strives to keep its carbon footprint as low as possible for the good of the planet.

In honor of Earth Day 2015, which is Wednesday, April 22nd, TNCS is inviting you to join in and go green, too! As detailed in TNCS Uses Viridian’s Power with Purpose, TNCS sources electricity through green-energy company Viridian, who has helped avoid more than 4 billion pounds in carbon emissions to date. By enrolling with Viridian, you not only opt to affordably supply your home with green energy, but you also earn cash rewards for TNCS without lifting a finger. There is no cost to change your energy provider to Viridian, and all you need is your current utility bill to quickly and easily make the switch.

You Win, TNCS Wins, Earth Wins!

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Why enroll for green energy with Viridian? Reduce your carbon footprint, show your support for socially responsible companies, and raise funds for TNCS!

Many of you have probably been considering signing up with Viridian, but, for one reason or another, just haven’t gotten around to it. Well, now’s the time! To sweeten the deal, TNCS and Viridian are jointly hosting a raffle for enrollees to be held at the April 24th Potluck. Just for enrolling, you receive a TNCS tee shirt, and you will also be entered in a raffle to win a $50 Amazon gift card, donated by Viridian.

How do you enroll? It’s so easy to do, and you have three convenient options to choose from!

1. Register online at: www.viridian.com/newcenturyschool. (Helpful tips include: Use Internet Explorer or Firefox rather than Safari, which is glitchy, and if you are opting for electricity only rather than electricity and gas, make sure to select “Not at this time” for gas on the Step 1 page.)

2. Call Viridian Customer Care at (866) 663-2508 (be sure to mention TNCS!).

3. Bring your current electric bill to the Potluck on April 24th, where TNCS Head of School Alicia Danyali will be manning a sign-up table to switch you to Viridian on the spot.

And, regardless of how, when, or where you enroll, as long as you bring proof of registration to the Potluck, you will receive your TNCS tee and be entered in the raffle.

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Viridian FAQs.

If you need more information, please download this informative brochure of FAQs and other details, visit the website above, or contact Viridian at the number above.

This Earth Day—the 45th annual—is going to be a very special one, and some are calling 2015 the the most exciting year in environmental history. With the slogan “It’s Our Turn To Lead,” the Earth Day network is galvanizing countries globally to participate in this great enterprise. Choosing green energy is how we can contribute our voice and our support. With the coming week being Climate Education Week, we can also teach our future citizens the importance of behaving responsibly toward the environment—in fact, Thursday is Renewable Energy Day!

Other resources for your information include Affordable_Energy and Why Go Solar Now?.

11.28.14
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Lessons in Thanksgiving at TNCS

This beautiful cornucopia spilled over with all the kids' favorite healthy snacks!

This beautiful cornucopia spilled over with all the kids’ favorite healthy snacks!

Holidays at The New Century School are special not just because of the unique, meaningful ways TNCS celebrates, but also because the school seizes the chance to give back to the surrounding community and beyond. After a Fall semester full of fundraising initiatives and community outreach, TNCS spent the last school-day in November by sharing a Thanksgiving/Cultural Feast to share our collective gratitude as well as taste delicious dishes from around the world. The Feast was the perfect culmination of the first two Units of Inquiry for the 2014–2015 school year: Community Building and People/Families Around the World.

Parents were asked to contribute a dish representing their culture to their child’s class feast. As has become the norm, TNCS parents really brought it. The following slideshow represents just a “taste” of the schoolwide event, but is more than enough to make your mouths water, viewers!

 

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What hard work was the antecedent to this lovely reward? Lots and lots of it.

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Neighbors and families came out in force—there wasn’t a crumb remaining after the 30-minute sale!

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Mrs. DuPrau and her proud 1st- and 2nd-graders.

TNCS elementary kids held the school’s first-ever bake sale and donated their proceeds to help raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. The bake sale was an astronomical success due to both the tempting goodies up for sale and to the savvy promotional campaign that preceded the event (students designed their own posters and signage). Mrs. DuPrau’s homeroom class was proud to contribute more than $300 to Habitat.

Another local beneficiary was the Help Rebuild Thames Street Park Playground initiative right here in Fell’s Point. TNCS students use this playground regularly, so Head of School Alicia Danyali ran a school-wide fundraiser through Mixed Bag Designs and gave all of the proceeds—more than $1,700—to the playground renovations! Well done, TNCS community!

As for the past 2 years, TNCS once again hosted a very successful food drive for to St. Vincent de Paul’s Beans & Bread program, “a comprehensive day resource program that offers a complete range of supportive services designed to help [Baltimore] individuals attain stabilization and self-sufficiency.”

True to form, the TNCS community is finding other ways to demonstrate their inherent altruism. Such creative and inspiring acts include enrolling in the sustainable energy program provided by Viridian, which helps the planet and earns fund for TNCS. Haven’t enrolled yet? Read more: TNCS Uses Viridian’s Power with Purpose!

And, elementary students are once more partnering with Councilman Jim Kraft’s office to do some good around Southeast Baltimore. See what they are jointly cooking up: TNCS and Councilman Kraft: Outreach for Our Shared Community.

TNCS provides students with regular opportunities to share their resources and goodwill, and our little humanitarians will learn very important life lessons as a result of this important practice in gratitude. So thank you, TNCS!

10.31.14
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TNCS Elementary Students To Enter BGE Video Contest!

Wires Down Video Challenge

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Mr. McGonigal’s 3rd- and 4th-graders welcome BGE to their class.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) is running its third annual “Wires Down Video Challenge” among elementary schools in their service area to raise kids’ awareness about the importance of electrical safety, and guess who is participating this year? The New Century School‘s 3rd- and 4th-graders, that’s who!

The contest hearkens back to a widely broadcast BGE commercial from 2000 in which a very catchy, “do not, do not, do not touch” jingle got the message out to thousands of kids about what not to do if they encounter a downed electrical wire. The current video challenge encourages elementary students to create their own 30- to 45-second version of this kid-friendly public service announcement.

This contest is no small potatoes, either—the first-place prize is $10,000! To win, Mr. McGonigal’s STEM class will need to harness all their creative and technical skills as well as demonstrate impeccable teamwork and school spirit. To get the ball rolling, a team of three BGE employees visited TNCS on October 15th to give a presentation on downed wires. After educating the class, Mr. Dave Himlin, Mr. Simon Benjamin, and Miss Faviola Donato-Galindo then quizzed them on electrical power. Correct answers earned the proud students their very own BGE hardhats. Not surprisingly, each of Mr. McGonigal’s science-savvy students was crowned. “Doing these school visits is a lot of fun,” said Mr. Dave. “We all enjoy the kids’ enthusiasm.”

The team from BGE: Mr. Dave, Mr. Simon, and Miss Faviola.
BGE Electrical Safety Presentation
BGE equipment
Mr. Simon begins donning his protective gear for line work.
That’s a lot of protective safety gear!
Mr. Simon demonstrates how he climbs poles to reach wires.
“What kinds of events might cause downed wires?” asked Mr. Dave.
The class is juiced to show their electrical safety knowledge.
Ooh—I know! I know!
TNCS elementary students know their stuff!
The students enjoyed this presentation very much—let’s see what a great video they can produce!
I earned this hat!
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Video brainstorming

“You could win a lot of money for your school,” said Miss Faviola after the presentation. “After the submission period ends, ask your friends and family members to go online and vote for your video.” (We’ll be sure to keep you updated about that process, readers!) “We’ll announce the winners in January,” she said.

With their creative energy sparked, the lucky kids then got to help carry the specialized BGE equipment back out to the work truck and got a chance to sit in the driver’s seat. This truck is called a “boom lift” and is outfitted with a cherry picker on the back to lift engineers as high as 6o feet up to the height of power lines.

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They have until November 14th to get their video submission in, so send them all your positive “energy”! Shooting begins this week!

Quick Facts:  

• At least one winning school will be chosen from each participating county.

• Since the contest’s inception, BGE has awarded $50,000 to fund school enrichment programs.

• Possible awards include:

  • BGE Star Power Award – $10,000
  • BGE Spotlight Award – $5,000
  • BGE Cast and Crew Award (awarded for most student effort) – $3,000
  • BGE Director’s Cut Award (awarded to the most creative entry) – $3000
  • BGE Golden Pipes Award – (awarded to best musical performance) – $3,000
  • BGE Screen Gem Award (awarded to best entry in each county) – $1,000
  • Rock The Vote! Award (awarded to the entry with the most votes) – Backpacks and safety gear

• Visit BGE’s Electrical Safety page for more information on how to stay safe near energy equipment.

• Report downed power lines to BGE immediately by calling 1.800.685.0123.

• BGE turns 200 years old June 17, 2016 and is both the oldest gas utility in the country and one of Maryland’s longest-running businesses.

10.17.14
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TNCS and Councilman Kraft: Outreach for Our Shared Community

Partnering for Sustainable Community Growth

One relationship that The New Century School‘s Head of School Alicia Danyali works hard to cultivate is between TNCS and the surrounding community. That’s why she maintains frequent contact with Southeast Baltimore’s Councilman Jim Kraft. Councilman Kraft’s mission for Baltimore’s first district is to keep it “safe, smart, green, and growing”—which are certainly TNCS core values as well.

Councilman Kraft’s Communications Assistant Kaitlyn Golden explained that the Office’s approach to realizing this mission is via active involvement in the district’s schools. “Parents are community stakeholders,” she said, “and so they need to stay informed about what’s going on in their community. Schools are a great way to spread the news.” In addition, Councilman Kraft is passionate that Southeast Baltimore students are getting the best education and the best school experience possible. This does not stop with the student, however, but also means that families are getting the support they need to keep their kids in school and thriving.

Ms. Golden says that to this end, at the beginning of each school year, Councilman Kraft and members of his staff meet with each school principle in the district to map out what kind of assistance they might need from his Office. Some are more receptive to this partnership than others. “Ms. Danyali is great,” said Ms. Golden, “and is very proactive. We really appreciate when schools come to us with what they need because that’s how we can best help them.”

Thus, last month they paid their annual visit to TNCS to make plans, brainstorm initiatives, and discuss what interventions the Office could most helpfully make to further both the school’s individual goals and their shared goals for the community. “TNCS has a great set-up,” said Ms. Golden. “We love this wonderful learning environment, especially the greenhouse, which is such a unique outdoor education site. Ms. Danyali hopes to expand greenhouse learning opportunities, in fact, and asked the Office to mediate on TNCS’s behalf with BGE to move the big green electric boxes that occupy much of the available space surrounding the greenhouse. Negotiations are ongoing!

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TNCS students regularly play at the Thames Street Park Playground. TNCS is helping fundraising efforts for a much-needed playground upgrade!

“Councilman Kraft is particularly pleased that the school is so involved in the community,” continued Ms. Golden, citing TNCS’s involvement with the Thames Street Park Playground upgrade as an example and explaining how the Office was able to facilitate that interaction. TNCS has just launched its Mixed Bag Designs fundraiser, proceeds from which will be donated to the Rebuild Thames Street Park Playground renovations. Order forms are being sent home with TNCS students and must be returned by 11/15/14.

What Else Is Happening?

So glad you asked! This fall two initiatives run concurrently—the Healthy Harbor Poster and Recycling Contests. Readers, you may recall that TNCS won last year’s Recycling Contest (read more here: TNCS Wins Southeast Baltimore City Schools Recycling Competition!). Katie Miller is the contact for the Recycling Contest, which began October 6th and runs through November 14th, and has already been working with TNCS students to help organize and manage this worthy project.

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Let’s make TNCS Recycling Superheroes 2 years running!

Each participating school creates a Recycling Team of 10–15 students, who collect their school’s weekly recycling and report the amount to Councilman Kraft’s Office. Prizes go to the school who collects the most recycling, based on a per-student ratio. Ms. Golden also helped out with this project by donating recycling bins for use in the multipurpose room and delivering them in person. Here’s to maintaining championship status TNCS! Give your TNCS student a leg up by reviewing What is recyclable.

The Healthy Harbor Poster asks students to draw their version of what a healthy harbor looks like. Winners will be selected for each of the following categories: Grades K–2, Grades 3–5, and Grades 6–8. This contest also started October 6th, and submissions will be accepted through November 14th. “We welcome all creative, thoughtful, and visionary Southeast students to participate!” said Ms. Golden. To download a entry form, click 2014 Healthy Harbor Poster Contest Flyer. Winning posters will be displayed at the Enoch Pratt Southeast Anchor library.

“And that’s not all,” she said. “There are other exciting projects I’m looking forward to following up on in the coming year, like the ‘If I Were Mayor’ Essay Contest for 4th graders this spring!” TNCS also looks forward to continuing this fruitful partnership with Councilman Kraft’s Office and doing our part to make Southeast Baltimore safe, smart, green, and growing!

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Southeast Baltimore kids, show us what your version of a healthy harbor looks like!

05.02.14
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Baseball Fundraiser Scores Big for TNCS

TNCS students pose with the Oriole Bird. Hey, why doesn't the O's mascot have a name, anyway?

TNCS students pose with the Oriole Bird. Hey, why doesn’t the O’s mascot have a name, anyway?

On April 27th, families came out in force to represent The New Century School at Camden Yards as the Baltimore Orioles played their third in a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. The event was organized by TNCS primary mom Tracy Browning as part of The OriolesREACH High Five Fundraising Program. High Five was designed to benefit local schools and other eligible nonprofit organizations; by attending a game at the “Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball,” TNCS earned $5 for every ticket sold. According to their website, the Orioles have donated more than $1.4 million through this program since 2005. “We have participated in the Orioles high five fundraising program through [Johns] Hopkins,” said Ms. Browning. “They do this yearly to raise funds for transplant patients and families.” In their experience with the program, Ms. Browning and her husband Dr. Niraj Desai appreciated the way it was not only a fun way to fundraise but also generated a true community feeling. “We thought it would be an exciting event for the school and a great way to raise money without having to buy wrapping paper, cookie dough, or something else you don’t really need!” She “pitched” the idea to TNCS Head of School Alicia Danyali, and off they went!

"Best playground ever" evidently involves zero wood chips!

“Best playground ever” evidently involves zero wood chips!

Said Ms. Danyali, “I loved the idea of hosting a community event that brought TNCS together with baseball in a way that benefits the school.” She also had a very particular area in need of benefit in mind: TNCS playground renovations. As chairperson of the official TNCS Playground Committee, Ms. Danyali says, “The playground committee came to be from various conversations  among parents, staff, and me regarding accommodating growing bodies and more choice in play/fitness moving forward. I put out an email request to all stakeholders interested in getting involved. Based on responses, a first meeting was set, with 8–10 parents/administration/executive directors in attendance.” That first meeting’s action plan was to research new and improved ground cover. Ms. Danyali says they are looking for something “more sustainable and long-lasting for the wear and tear of the environment and student usage. The pebbles and mulch take a beating with the weather and constant movement. I am requesting samples from many surface providers to weigh options, plus there is interest in a track for running to be installed.” Additionally, an elementary Spring Break assignment was to Create Your Dream Playground, which students executed with enthusiasm! Although an ice cream shop probably will not ultimately occupy the center of the new playground, the kids’ natural creativity, unhampered innovation, and end-user insight resulted in some truly inspired suggestions for the upcoming overhaul. With $675 raised from the day out at Oriole Park (that’s 135 tickets sold!), Step 1 is underway. Ms. Danyali encourages families to get involved with this fun way to help out the school: “The next playground committee meeting is scheduled for May 12 at 8:00 am, for anyone interested in joining the group!”

This playground comes fully equipped with your very own Ninja Training Center . . . because, honestly, what playground is complete without that? Oh, and an ice cream shop. Definitely need an ice cream shop.
A zipline, slide, swings, monkey bars—this playground has it all! Including instructions to “keep the dome”!
This designer clearly loves being outside, having designated picnic, beach, sandbox, and plenty of sliding areas, but makes sure that umbrellas are strategically placed at each station to keep it cool and to ward off harmful UV rays.
The elementary students’ work is displayed in the multipurpose room—be sure to check them out!

“We are working on next year’s game and want this to be a yearly community event,” says Ms. Browning. “I really hope everyone had a great time!” It’s probably safe to say that the event scored a grand slam (even if the Orioles fared less successfully)!

They just scored a run!
Elementary students made a sign to show their enthusiasm and support!
Everyone is duly impressed with the sign!
Section 96 was packed with TNCS O’s fans!
I’m just here for the popcorn!
Uh oh—all heads turn for the advent of the Cotton Candy Man!
First game :)!