Chris Hemmerlein and son, Teddy, at Pumpkinfest. Photo by Rikki George
PumpkinFest at Arlington’s Discovery Elementary School is no ordinary fest. But then Discovery Elementary is no ordinary neighborhood school.
The festival held Sunday, Oct. 30, at the year-old Net-Zero school of 580 students, featured a marching band, food trucks, castles and Next Generation jumping machines and pumpkin-carving contests.
Another event included the Global Cardboard Challenge, a program art teacher Maria Burke implemented to recycle the school’s cardboard boxes.
With the help of a collaborative learning team — a librarian, a gifted source, IT staff and two art teachers — students went through a five-step creative process of inspiring, brainstorming and sketching ideas, creating and building, adding technology, and refining a project. With cardboard as the main material, students built everything from airplanes to giant bugs to wired machines.
Burke hopes to make the Global Cardboard Challenge a yearly event. But if not, there is plenty to do at Discovery.
“Eco-Action is huge for us,” said Shauna Piedrahita, PTA president. There are outdoor education activities through gardening. Rain barrels collect water and food is harvested for donation.
Building design facilitates experiential learning as well. Solar panels and geothermal walls help students learn while putting power back on the grid. And there’s a digital dashboard coming soon to be displayed in the school’s lobby, where students can track energy usage.
“We put students in the driver’s seat,” Assistant Principal Judy Concha said. Students set their own goals, which raises engagement levels, which in turn inspires innovation, success and a festive environment, she said.