Family & Community resourcesCommunity Partnerships
Overview
The HCPSS has maintained an active educational partnership program for more than 20 years. By strengthening and enhancing the quality of education in Howard County, partnerships help keep the school system among the best in the nation and ensure that Howard County is an attractive place to live. Businesses and community organizations that partner with Howard County schools gain both immediate and long-term rewards. Employees experience the satisfaction of helping students prepare for a better future. The organization receives positive exposure among students, school staff, parents and the community. The Partnerships OfficeLinks to an external site. unites business and community organizations with schools to build rewarding, sustainable partnerships in support of school systemStrategic Call to Action.Links to an external site.
The mission of the Howard County Conservancy is to educate children and adults about our natural world, preserve the land and its legacy for future generations and model responsible stewardship of our environment. Dedicated to educating youth and adults about environmental stewardship and ecosystems, the Conservancy focuses its programs on local animal and plant life found in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Conservancy has been educating Howard County youth since 1997, and has been an Educational Partner with the Howard County Public School System since 2003.
The Watershed Report Card
Howard County’s largest environmental education program – The Watershed Report CardLinks to an external site. – reaches 5,000 students from all 13 Howard County High Schools. Students study the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of local streams and complete a scientifically rigorous assessment. The final product of this year-long study is a student-developed, published Watershed Report Card. At the Summit, students turn the table and present their grade to county leaders.
CLIMATE KNOWLEDGE
Thanks to the funding from a NOAA B-WET grant, a district-wide climate change curriculum with a meaningful watershed experience is being developed with the Howard CountyPublic School System. By August 2023, every sixth grade Howard County Public School System Student and teacher will be engaged in robust hands-on climate science. Student research and action will be focused on reducing the impacts of the climate change emergency. Visit this page to learn more about the project: https://www.howardnature.org/climate/Links to an external site.
The mission of Robinson Nature Center is to facilitate the enjoyment and understanding of our natural resources and to bridge the gap between people and nature. By inspiring sound environmental awareness, they promote responsible stewardship of all of our natural resources and strive to connect people of all ages with nature through experience-based education. Robinson Nature Center is a unique nature education facility situated on 18 acres of land adjacent to the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. Geothermal heating/air-conditioning, porous paving, solar panels, innovative water conservation methods and a host of other features make this building environmentally-friendly and have earned it the LEED Certified Platinum designation.
HCPSS environmental literacy efforts are supported by an environmental educator stationed at the Howard County Conservancy. Environmental educators bridge the HCPSS curriculum and the resources provided by our community partners.