Student Projects

Clean Water Congress

Student teams from Darrow participate in the Hudson River Basin Clean Water Congress, performing mock stream analyses and presenting their findings to the group. Darrow was chosen to be the host because of its unique campus and Samson Environmental Center. Congress organizers say, "It is relevant and exciting to present the Congress at a high school that is actually doing something about keeping the Hudson watershed clean." Earlier in the year, students conducted field work that has proved to be extremely valuable beyond the scope of the Congress. Their data was incorporated into a New York State study of the water quality for streams and rivers throughout the state, which shows that the health of the water is declining.

 Dorm Energy Competition

The first Darrow Dorm Energy Competition title went to Ann Lee and Brethren's for their savings-minded approach to natural resources. The contest, the brainchild of Samson Environmental Center (SEC) then Codirector Craig Wescott, focused on moving Darrow sustainability forward through saving energy. SEC then Codirector Josh Kleyman, who facilitated the contest, remembers, "In Advanced Environmental Science class, we talked about the value of energy conservation. The juniors and seniors gave presentations, and afterward, everyone turned off the lights in Wickersham; there was instant intrigue." For the contest, dorms were paired, and dorm parents used surveys to quantify energy use during study halls. Ann Lee and Brethren's were the overall winners, while Meacham had the lowest energy use per student. To commemorate the victory, Kleyman organized the lights-out "Do It in the Dark" event, which featured a candlelit sustainable-foods dinner and a bonfire with awards.

Reducing Dining Room Waste
In yet another nod to sustainable living, the entire Darrow community participated in an effort to reduce dining room waste. The project was the invention of Ethan Lobdell, a Darrow math teacher, whose Algebra I class graphed variables over time using an applied-learning model of waste patterns in the dining room. Students, faculty, and staff were asked to split their post-meal waste into compostables (unbleached paper napkins, fruit peels and cores) and other garbage (uneaten food, wrappers). Lobdell assigned students to weigh the dining hall trash bags, the results of which supplied data that will be compiled and presented to the community to raise awareness of waste patterns.