3.1: Community Partnerships

Return to Objective 3: Community Partnerships, Awards and Special Recognition

On February 19, 2020, We hosted Kendra Nelson and Allison Magagnosc from the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative for an information session on the 2020 Census. Kendra and Allison shared information about the healthy homes count and how to create healthy, safe, and energy efficient homes.

On December 6, 2019, we welcomed a new partner and startup, DNA HealthMap, to our Adolescent School. Representatives from DNA HealthMap shared information about their mission to provide people with maps to navigate a healthier life using their DNA and introduced students to the concept of precision medicine through interactive lessons. Students learned how precision medicine can help educate individuals about their health risks and empower them to be proactive about minimizing the effects of disease.

We partner with Heart's Place Services to send home weekend food support for students struggling with housing insecurity. Volunteers pack "Weekend Survival Kits" - string bags with food for children to take home on Friday afternoons to cover the weekend gap when students won't receive a nourishing school lunch, breakfast, or dinner. Our wonderful partners at Heart's Place also provide dental hygiene items and gently used books, coats, and toys.

In collaboration with the Baltimore Orchard Project, students learned about the history and cultivation of the fig tree, participated in a culinary lesson featuring figs and goat cheese, and enjoyed an art extension. Students also learned how to wrap and winterize the fig tree on our greenspace.

The Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap van visited our staff parking lot on January 9, 2018, so teachers could drop off unwanted items and browse needed supplies at no cost! This local initiative equips Baltimore-area educators with classroom supplies and instructional materials by repurposing donated items.

In 2018 and 2019, our greenspace was the backdrop for the Baltimore Rhythm Festival - a fabulous celebration of rhythm and music with two stages, food, dancing, vendors, workshops, children's activities, drumming circles, and more. We look forward to hosting again in September 2020!

We are proud to call the historic community of Greenmount West home and strive to be good partners to our neighbors. Students conduct regular clean-ups to help clear debris from our neighborhood.

In May 2017 and March 2016, students had the opportunity to prepare a dinner for guests in an actual restaurant environment, thanks to our friends and partners at Foodshed. Students prepped ingredients during the day in Woodberry Kitchen's historic back kitchens; in the evening, students headed up the street to cook on the line and serve a delicious dinner to patrons at Artifact. When our alumni visit, they frequently cite this event as one of their most memorable experiences; we're extremely grateful to our partners for making this experience possible and for generously donating the proceeds from the dinner to our Seed to Table program.

For an added feature in an urban park adjacent to our school, students designed and installed a Little Free Library at the Calvert Street Park - the southwest gateway to the Greenmount West community. Students keep the library stocked with gently used books and anyone is free to take a book or leave one for another to enjoy.