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Two Falls Church City educators presented the school system’s hands-on sustainability program to more than 400 attendees from 26 countries at an international conference in Miami.
Dr. Ray Wu-Rorrer, Falls Church City Public Schools’ technology, design, engineering, energy and sustainability educator, joined retired FCCPS educator Dr. Peter Mecca at the 21st International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability. The event ran Jan. 23-25.
Their presentation examined how FCCPS combines science, technology, engineering and math instruction with project-based sustainability education. Titled “STEM Environments In Secondary Education Sustainability Programs: A Case Study On The Application Of AgroLab Framework,” it focused on the district’s efforts to give students repeated, practical experience with urban agriculture and environmental science.
The program includes aquatic education and vivarium projects, outdoor gardens, living laboratories and student-led sustainability work. Its lessons connect classroom instruction with educational standards and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Students apply what they learn inside an aquatic education facility and a vivarium, or indoor greenhouse. They also work in gardens devoted to pollinators, native plants and food production, as well as designed ecosystems located in a water-retention area.
Wu-Rorrer and Mecca reported that students developed a deeper understanding of urban agriculture and environmental science with each successive year in the program. They attributed that growth to multiple intentional experiences combining instruction with practical projects.
“The conference provided an invaluable opportunity to share our experiences while learning from educators and researchers worldwide,” Wu-Rorrer said. “We’re excited to implement new ideas and best practices that will benefit our Falls Church students.”
The educators returned with strategies they intend to incorporate into the school system’s sustainability curriculum.