RiverSmart Schools

The RiverSmart schools program is a collaborative effort between the Anacostia Watershed Society and the District Department of the Environment (DDOE). This schoolyard greening program focuses on both creating green space on school grounds while also connecting teachers and students to that green space, and the Anacostia Watershed as a whole.

Schools Involved

Each year DDOE selects 5 schools from the District to join this exciting program. This year AWS and DDOE are proud to be working with the following schools:

• The SEED School
• Walker Jones Education Campus
• Kelly Miller Middle School
• Hardy Middle School
• Phelps Architecture, Construction, and Engineering High School

Sample Projects

Each school develops a customized plan for their schoolyard conservation site based on teacher training workshops, site visits, and technical assistance from both DDOE and AWS staff.

Sample Projects Include:

• Rain Gardens!
• Cisterns!
• Tree Plantings!
• Raised Beds!
• Butterfly Gardens!

Benefits

Students at Harriet Tubman Elementary School
building a hoop house for their gardens

Teachers at participating schools will benefit from a four part teacher training workshop that will provide them with the knowledge and resources to engage their students with the newly created space.  In addition it provides teachers with the training and resources they need to use their conservation site to teacher lessons based on the DC Public School Standards. 

Students will in turn take part in installation and maintenance of schoolyard conservation sites, hands-on classroom demonstrations, and a boat trip on the Anacostia River.  This is a great opportunity to teach students through activity to create a meaningful message that links to stewardship of the environment.

If you are interested in applying to become a part of this program, please visit DDOE’s website.