Fifth Grade Orca Project Wins First Place at Santa Cruz Earth Day

‘We Ourselves Set this Problem in Motion, Let’s Help Save the Orcas of the Ocean,’  a project of the Mount Madonna School (MMS) fifth grade class, has won First Place in the environmental Class Challenge at the Santa Cruz Earth Day celebration on April 18. The students were presented with $300 prize for their First Place finish. 
 
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MMS Students Receive President’s Environmental Education Award for Fighting to Protect Sea Turtles Worldwide

San Francisco, CA — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the 2013-14 fifth grade class at Mount Madonna School in Watsonville, Calif. will receive the President’s Environmental Youth Award for their work to fight environmental threats faced by California sea turtles. The awards are presented each year to exceptional students and teachers who demonstrate creativity, innovation, and leadership to address difficult environmental challenges.
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Exploration and Learning: Students Share A ‘Journey Through Africa’

‘Passengers, please direct your attention out of the plane’s right side windows,’ said enthusiastic ‘flight attendant’ and Mount Madonna School (MMS) first grade teacher Cassia Laffin to her students. ‘In the distance, reaching 19,341 feet you can see Mount Kilimanjaro! And, over there, winding for thousands of miles, the remarkable Nile River!

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Third Graders Design Light-up Robots

On a recent day in The Factory, Mount Madonna School third grade students created small robot designs and added lights with small circuits made from an LED, a button-cell battery and conductive paint.

Next, using their original designs as circuit diagrams, students make larger scale versions of their robots on paper, and used copper tape, colored LEDs, button-cell batteries and on-off switches. 

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Trash Action: Students Cleanup Beach and Pajaro River Mouth

On Tuesday, Mount Madonna School (MMS) Pre/K, fifth and ninth grade students trekked quite far to reach the mouth of the Pajaro River. The group spent nearly two hours cleaning up along the river mouth and nearby beach, and collected 44 pounds of trash, including a tire and an old TV! 
 
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Fifth Grade Presents to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Today the fifth grade class presented to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. They asked the council to consider changing the current “recommendation” of a 50-yard boating distance from whales in the Monterey Bay to a 100-yard law. Students were well-spoken, educated and mature! Great job!
 
“The students’ presentation to members of the Council went really well,” commented fifth grade teacher and project co-leader Jessica Cambell.

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