New Green Roof to Provide Educational Value to MKA Students
MKA Upper School faculty and staff recently had the pleasure of hearing Middle School science teacher Laura Zimmerman present her Bleauvelt study linking the construction of the new Upper School Academic Center to the educational value its green roof will provide students.
Laura explained that a green roof, by definition, starts with roofing layers (a waterproof membrane and insulation) and also includes soil, plants and drainage. Green roofs have a variety of environmental benefits, from holding rainwater to filtering the air and saving energy (and therefore money) on heating and cooling costs. They can also be used as educational spaces for students of all ages, from Pre-K -12, for a variety of different learning objectives.
The presentation demonstrated the diverse and intricate ways in which the green roof will benefit areas of study beyond science. Students will be able to draw pictures of native plants for art , measure the plots for a scaling project or collect temperature, moisture and weather data for a math class, plant herbs and plants with a connection to literature (such as those used in Shakespeare's plays) or those used in other cultures for social studies.
There will be a vegetative side of the roof that will be planted with drought tolerant plants in a small amount of soil, and another side that will be filled with planter boxes housing garden vegetables, native plants and plants being used in research experiments, depending on student and faculty choices.
Although this flexible space will be a great place for Upper School students to enjoy, it will also be a tremendous resource for Primary and Middle School students to visit both physically and remotely (through cameras and sensors).
