 On Aug. 18, Fifth-District Congressman Hal Rogers presented a $3,250 check to enhance Mt. Vernon Elementary School’s outdoor classroom.
While guiding Rogers and community members through the facility, fourth and fifth-grade students showed off their knowledge of environmental stewardship.
“Students, thank you for your enthusiasm for the environment,” Rogers said. “In our region, we are blessed with beautiful, useful natural resources. That blessing comes with the responsibility of good stewardship. Today, you have shown me that you are ready to do a better job than my generation. I hope your family and neighbors will learn from you.”
Rogers secured the federal funding for the PRIDE Environmental Education Grant program that supports the school’s environmental education program. Since 1998, the school has received $22,650 in PRIDE grants. The check presented by Rogers today will be used to purchase equipment, supplies and native plants for the outdoor classroom, as well as books and Earth Day materials.
While at the school today, Rogers helped cut the ribbon on the school’s PRIDE-funded greenhouse. He also presented certificates to the students who participated in the region’s 2008 PRIDE Club Contest, which called for raising awareness of environmental issues in their community. Their project was organizing celebrations of Earth Day and National Agriculture Day last spring.
After the presentations, Rogers and members of the community toured the school’s outdoor classroom. They saw the greenhouse, native plant garden, recycling station and composting station.
Rogers and the public were hosted by Principal Leon Davidson and teachers Julie Asher and Cloia Collins, who sponsor the school’s PRIDE Club. Schools across the region are encouraged to offer PRIDE Clubs as a way for students to learn about the environment in fun ways, mentor younger students and perform community service.
PRIDE is a nonprofit organization founded by Congressman Rogers and former Kentucky Environmental Protection Secretary James Bickford in 1997 to encourage and assist communities to improve water quality, clean up solid waste problems and promote environmental education. PRIDE is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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