Each year, OLQP 5th grade students have the wonderful experience of attending the Archdiocesan environmental camp - Camp Kappe. The School of Environmental Education (S.E.E.) is an accredited school offering a supplemental education program to the parochial schools of the area. S.E.E. provides a four-day outdoor experience of God’s gift of nature while studying life cycles, food chains, the environment’s effect on man, man’s effect on the environment, conservation of resources, etc. It offers hands-on experience with farm animals and gardening along with many other exciting adventures in outdoor education.
Forest Glen
Junior High Students attend Forest Glen Christian camp for four days every Fall. Christian counselors facilitate team building games, bible study devotionals, high and low ropes courses as well as archery, rifles, ping pong, basketball, soccer, horse shoes, fishing, owl pellets, tree and microscope study.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Awarded Three
2009 A+ for Energy BP Grants!
OLQP recently learned they were the recipients of three educational grants. These dynamic projects were submitted by Our Lady Queen of Peace Teachers and will be implemented this year. See details of these grants below and watch for updates and photo albums.
Sun PowerTeacher:
Monica Donovan
Award: $10,000
This project is designed to explore the sun and how all living things need the sun for survival. Students will work in cooperative groups to research, investigate properties of the sun, learn about solar energy, and demonstrate their learning through a variety of creative projects. These findings will be shared with students in upper and lower grade levels. Students will grow a Spring garden and research what vegetables/fruits grow in the Fall verses the Spring.
Fertilizing Future Fuel
Teacher: Janice Peters
Award: $10,000
The purpose of Fertilizing Future Fuel is for our students to understand how energy can be traced back to the sun's inexhaustible resource. The students will explore this idea by studying the decomposition cycle and setting up composting bins in the school learning garden, using organic material from our cafeteria. By composting we will be reducing waste and conserving energy. Students then will use the rich soil created in our compost bins to fuel and feed sunflowers and other plants that will be planted in our garden. The students will see how the sunflowers are a part of the solar energy cycle as the plants soak up the sun's energy and transform it into food. The seeds from the sunflowers will be pressed to extract their oil which will be used to fuel an oil lamp, thus creating a renewable alternate energy fuel. This project is an excellent opportunity for our students to understand the importance of alternate energy and solve the energy crises that we see today.
Texas Energy Road Trip
Lead Teacher: Yvonne Whitmarsh
Award: $10,000 Trip
From the gulf coastal plains by Beaumont, to the High Plains by Lubbock, and then to the mountains and basins by Fort Davis, Texas has many rich and varied landforms and climates. By taking a virtual "road trip" across the state of Texas, seventh grade students will gain an appreciation for the vast potential of clean, renewable resources such as wind, solar, and biomass that will benefit our state and other states. By studying the different forms of renewable resources available due to Texas' unique topography and climate, and by using the technology to which we currently have access, students will learn how we can meet our state's energy needs for industry and homes. They will understand the importance of creating and using energy without polluting and the importance of conserving the nonrenewable resources such as petroleum available in Texas. Using this information, the students will gain an appreciation for the diverseness of our state's resources (and beauty) and how important it is to protect and wisely use these valuable assets to aid our state and our country now and in the future.