academy for global citizenship

Cristina Torres shows off her green thumb after working in the Academy for Global Citizenships organic garden.

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Photo: Grant Kessler

Attention, students!
An energy revolution has begun.
in fact, its well underway at the academy for Global citizenship, where energy education is built into the curriculum alongside traditional subjects like math and science, and the campus is outfitted with eco-friendly infrastructure (think solar panels, a wind turbine, and an organic garden). the idea, says founder sarah elizabeth ippel, is to prepare students to lead environmental reform.
by lisa ryan

energyinternationalquarterly.com | july/august 2011

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academy for global citizenship

hen asked to take a visitor on a tour of his school, diego alcantar didnt point out his desk or show off his math classroom. rather, the first-grader led the guest to the two solar panels located on the playground.
vironmental responsibility and connectedness. Theyre also being exposed to fresh, organic, locally grown food. Similarly, students help tend to the schoolyard chickens: they collect eggs and take care of the schools coop. Its a favorite pastime of many students, including thirdgrader Tavaris West. Our chickens are sweet and feel fluffy and they give us eggs for breakfast. Its fun to have a relationship with animals, West says. Its clear that at the academy, personal health and nutrition are extremely important. Many of the schools students come from underprivileged backgrounds (seventy-seven percent of our student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch, Ippel says), so the school goes to great lengths to ensure that health needs are met. The first stop of the day for each student is the cafeteria, where they are served an organic

He asked her to look up at the solar panels and said, The energy comes down from the sun and the solar panels bring electricity to our school. They give us clean electricity, says Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, founder and executive director of the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC), a public charter school located on the southwest side of Chicago. The solar panels are such a normal part of our school day. Diego and the other students arent necessarily aware that their experience is different from any other childs school experience. The students may not realize it, but AGC is unlike most any other public school in the United States. While its strong academic framework is in accordance with the Illinois State Board of Educations Illinois Learning Standards, which call for strong math and language-arts requirements, the school is also committed to teaching the fundamentals of environmental sustainability and good nutrition. This means that chickens dot the schoolyard, a wind-turbine model stands near the front door, and, as Diego pointed out, solar panels generate energy on the playground. The panels are part of the schools Solar Learning Lab, where classes are often held. Students monitor the effects that different weather patterns can have on the panels ability to collect and utilize energy. On average, the panels produce up to three kWh of power and save approximately 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The playground is also home to an outdoor organic garden, where students plant, maintain, and harvest. Here, students are encouraged to learn about nutrition and develop a sense of en28

breakfast thats made from scratch. Then, they transition into their school day by practicing yoga. The routine is designed to prepare their bodies and minds for the work ahead. So howd such a unique school come into being? Ippel says the seeds of the academy were planted while she was working towards an MA in social and developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge in England. For the first time in her life, Ippel says, she was surrounded by different cultural backgrounds, which led her to become deeply interested in educational philosophy, travel, and the environment. Since then, she has visited more than 80 countries on a personal initiative to learn more about the environment and international education systems. During this time, she became aware of exciting educational frameworks being utilized across the globe. In particular, Ippel was drawn to the International Baccalaureate program, which allows students to explore trans-disciplinary themes through inquiry-based learning. Ippel also began to develop a sense of urgency in regards to environmental issues. She envisioned a school that would prepare students to become environmental leaders, equipped to respond to the environmental challenges that lay ahead. In 2004, the then-23 year-old returned

Success by the numbers

According to Ippel, when the school was founded in 2008, only 11% of the students entering first grade were at or above the standard reading level. In 2010, after going through the academys kindergarten program, 98% of students entered the first grade at or above the standard reading level.

energyinternationalquarterly.com | july/august 2011

academy for global citizenship

1. Paula Martinez, a student at the Academy for Global Citizenship, observes the schools demonstration wind turbine. 2. Eros Pietropaolo studies the benefits of using CFL bulbs instead of incandescents. 3. The academys greenhouse teaches students how to grow their own produce, and features a rainwaterharvesting system. 4. The schools chicken coop is outfitted with a green roof, and the chickens are free to roam outside of the coop as they please. 5. Students Shamari Brooks, Paula Martinez, Cora Haworth, and Madelenne Arredondo hold cabbage and a basketball, showcasing their diverse interests.

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academy for global citizenship

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1. Students Alexandra Alcantar, Desiree Ortiz, and Citlali Suarez work together to water the schools plants. 2. This stationary bike, purchased with funds from the Energy-a-Thon fundraiser, produces 110 volts of electricityenough to illuminate the nearby lightbulb. The bike now stands in a classroom at AGC. 3. Students prepared posters to promote the Energy-a-Thon fundraising event. Their handiwork was displayed near a solar panel for all attendees to see.

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academy for global citizenship

We talk a lot about our innovation with sustainability and nutrition, but at the end of the day, its important for people to know that weve had tremendous academic achievement.
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Founder & Executive Director

to Chicago determined to make a difference in the citys education system. It was then that she decided to start a school of her own. During her travels, Ippel had been confronted with various widespread health problems, ranging from AIDS to obesity. Recognizing how positive nutrition and effective learning are inextricably linked, health became another pillar of the schools curriculum. I felt passionate about creating a school that focuses on the environment and nutrition within a global context, she says. Once her ideas were in place, Ippel got busy making things happen. By 2005, she had formed a non-profit organization and created a Board of Directors for the academy. Ippel and her team spent the next three years creating a series of proposals to present for approval from the Chicago Board of Education. The school formally opened its doors in the fall of 2008, with hopes for inspiring academic excellence, cultivating a sense of inquiry and global awareness, teaching environmental responsibility and fostering feeling of community responsibility in its studentsall while adhering to the International Baccalaureate Programme. The academy is growing quickly. At the time of its launch, the school offered only kindergarten and first-grade educations and housed 88 students. However, as its students progress grade levels, so does the academy. The school now offers classes up through the third grade, with the intention of eventually expanding to more than 550 students ranging from preschool to eighth grade. And, in hopes of spreading its philosophies to other schools, the academy has pro-

duced a sustainability handbook for educators who wish to adopt some of the schools programs. As part of one such program, the schools third graders completed a six-week energy study. For the duration of the study, all of their classes focused on different forms of renewable energy. For example, math lessons were applied in terms of energy: one lesson had students calculating how much energy it would take to power a CFL light bulb versus a standard light bulb. Several students also participated in an energy audit math lesson. Ippel says that students, armed with clipboards, came to her office to gauge her energy consumption. They called themselves energy detectives, she says. They asked me why I had a light plugged in if I wasnt using it, counted light bulbs, and made notes on the number of electronic devices. They conducted an audit of the entire school and essentially determined how much energy we could be saving. The unit culminated with an Energy-aThon, which was designed to teach the com-

munity about renewable energy. During the event, students were encouraged to participate in activities that generated physical energy, such as yoga and jumping rope, while educating visitors about energy. The Energy-a-Thon was also a fundraiser: the school raised enough money to buy an energy-producing stationary bicycle that produces 110 volts. In order to produce energy, the bikes rear skewer is attached to a small generator. When the rider pedals, the back wheel spins, causing the rear skewer to act as a turbine. The spinning turbine generates electricity and stores it in the battery. Dan Schnitzer, the academys director of sustainability, joined the academys faculty in January 2009. He was drawn to the unique curriculum: At AGC, we believe in nurturing the whole child, and that physical education and exploration are keys to success in literacy, math, and science, he says. Schnitzer says that he was particularly attracted to the schools strong environmental initiatives. The environment is everything. Its all we have. We need to make sure that we do everything we can to improve it, he says. Schnitzer believes that its the responsibility of schools everywhere to provide their students with the tools to navigate the changing energy landscape. Thats what school is meant to do, he explains. Kids everywhere need to learn how to read, for example, so they can go out and interact with the world. Energy is a part of the world, as well. EIQ

Success by the numbers

Ippel says that the students reading levels are extraordinary, with 84% of students meeting or exceeding literary standards, whereas only 63% of students in five surrounding neighborhood schools are meeting or exceeding standards for their grade level. In addition, 20% of the Academys third-grade students are reading a full year above their grade level.
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