And we feel that’s what this grant has done for us,” Reynolds asserts. LEARNING THROUGH SERVICE AND ENGAGEMENT Education at Andover RSD extends beyond classroom walls, and students are given a variety of hands-on learning opportunities that encourage responsibility. One example is a partnership with Sustainable Jersey and Thor Labs, which resulted in the installation of an on-site food composter that has become a reallife learning lab for students. “We realized that there was a significant amount of food waste here at FMB,” Dilkes explains.“So one of the big initiatives was to write a grant to Sustainable Jersey for a composter.”When funding fell short,Thor Labs stepped in. “We’re very lucky to have them right down the street. They’re very generous with the community and supportive of the schools,” she continues.“So one of our teachers reached out to the CEO over there, and they gave us the other $10,000. So now we have our composter.” Fourth-grade students take ownership of the process, working on a rotating schedule to sort through the trash and dump the food waste into the composter. “My fourth graders are my oldest kids in the school, and I’ve really been working very hard to give them more responsibility and more buy-in. They’re going to middle school next year, and they’re the leaders of the school,” she describes. “It only takes about 10 minutes, but it’s a huge responsibility.” The final stage of the process is boxing up the compost to be used in the school garden, teaching the cycle of sustainability, and showing the students the usefulness of their efforts. Service learning is also embedded into the curriculum at Andover RSD. “I’m a big believer in making the learning as relevant to their real lives as possible and pulling in your community,” stresses Reynolds. “I love community partnerships, and when kids get to know their neighbors, it makes everything better.” Through an initiative sparked by Dilkes and an elementary teacher working towards her principal 265 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 02 ANDOVER REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
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