Oak Hill presents "It's Easy Being Green!" concert

The entire student body of Oak Hill Elementary School celebrated their new Green School status by performing a concert titled “It’s Easy Being Green!” on Friday when all of the students performed a songbook program by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse.

Oak Hill's music teacher Stephanie Plitt worked with the students on preparing for the musical performance which included singing, acting and dancing. Songs like “Drip, Drip, Drop, Drop” and “Turn It Off!” emphasized how to save our planet by reducing waste, recycling and reusing products.

The first grade students played their recycled instruments such as box drums and oatmeal box shakers to the tune of "The Recycle Rap."

The children especially enjoyed the surprise appearance of gym teacher Chris Collins as the tree in the song "Goin' Green."

Principal Deneen Houghton was thrilled with the new Green school status, a process that took over two and a half years to complete. Oak Hill parent Lori Stokes took the initiative in starting the Planet Protectors Club at Oak Hill two years ago, with the fifth graders who started a recycling program.

From there, the program expanded to include the faculty when Houghton asked a few of the teachers to head up the Green School initiative. Candice Warnock, Tammy Kingsland, Amy Praley and Kimberly Lawton all stepped-up to help with various aspects of the program such as planting new grasses at Arlington Echo, raising baby Terrapins, keeping up with the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay and more.

Kingsland helps to raise the oyster population by putting old oyster shells out on a shoal off of Dobbins Island every year in late summer or early fall. “The Chesapeake Bay is one of my passions because I’m a boater," she said.

Last year the school had a Meadow and Earth Day to promote parent involvement with the program. “The neatest thing is that it started with the fifth grade like a seed. We like the fifth-graders to really see the change they can make in their world so our kids look at their roll in the whole environment,” said Warnock, adding that the program has "spread like wild fire."

Fifth grade Green School student representative Jeremy Weight, said: “It’s a fun job to do.” He particularly likes to make the morning announcements over the speaker and added “Everyone should remember to recycle. It would make my job easier.”

Houghton added that she’s so proud that “every student, every teacher came together to make our school a green school. It was all or nothing and we came together as a community.”

The school will get a big sign to announce the achievement and on June 3 Oak Hill will be recognized at Sandy Point State Park by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) and Governor Martin O’Malley.

 For more information on the MAOE program, please visit: http://www.maeoe.org