Healthy Schools Campaign

Millions of Children, Teachers, and Staff are Returning to School. Are They in the Buildings They Need and Deserve?

Today, we share a special message from our friends at 21st Century School Fund. 

On the first day of school, our school buildings and grounds are always at their best. Our school staff, service providers, municipal agencies and community volunteers all work together to make sure classrooms are clean, grass is cut and flower beds are mulched; small repairs are done; paint is applied; mechanical systems are ready; and supplies and materials are in place for the millions of teachers and students who will attend our schools over the next school year. Construction crews that have been doing major projects over the summer are on long shifts to make sure the construction crews can leave and the children can arrive. 

Let's celebrate the 2012-2013 opening of the school year, but also examine whether we are really doing all we should to make sure we have healthy and safe school buildings and grounds that advance education quality and equity and support sustainable communities. 

• Find out what your states and local districts are doing to plan for and fund ongoing and deferred maintenance and to provide for school construction spending in these uncertain economic times

• There is a bill - Fix America's Schools Today - that has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate which would provide $30 billion in federal funding for K12 public schools and community colleges to address the problems of deferred maintenance in public schools-reducing local and state backlogs by about 10%.  Do your representatives support this bill?  If not, what would they propose to reduce our nation's public education infrastructure deficit?

• Ask elected officials and those running for office what they propose doing to support and ensure that all children have healthy, safe and educationally adequate school buildings and grounds to attend

• Contact your local public schools and find out how you can volunteer to participate in local school clean-ups and beautification days...not just at the beginning of the year, but throughout the school year...OR go to US Green Building Council's Green Apple Day of Service to join a school improvement project in your area

• Join the Through Your Lens campaign and take a photo of conditions in your school, post it on your Facebook page and tag it to Through Your Lens Facebook Photo Gallery

• View PARADE Magazine's Special Report: Rebuilding America's Schools, to learn about how two communities have improved the schools for their children, families and neighborhoods

 

A Look at Toxic Schools with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta

CNN’s “CNN Presents” recently shed light on school indoor air quality during their Toxic Schools segment.

The presentation spotlights different stakeholders including parents, students, and teachers who were adversely affected by mold, dust, carcinogens, and chemicals. Parents discussed how their children experienced headaches and breathing problems as a result of their school facilities. Most alarming, the special revealed that an estimated one-third of public schools have air quality that causes respiratory problems for children.

Protection from Filth by Clark from Afton, VA

Aside from causing persistent health issues, exposure to these conditions also caused students to miss school, inhibiting their ability to learn and succeed. For instance, nine-year-old Matthew Asselin missed 53 days of school as a result of frequent hospitals visits and recovery.

Toxic Schools also highlights that while schools serve as academic institutions for students, they are work environments for faculty and staff. The segment references a 2010 National Association of School Nurse survey that estimates that health of 40 percent of students and staff are adversely affected by school environments. Joellen Lawson, a former Connecticut special education teacher spotlighted in this presentation, was diagnosed with a debilitating respiratory disease as a result of constant exposure to mold. Again, unhealthy school facilities adversely affect student learning when an educator’s ability to teach is inhibited.

Through Your Lens, a photography contest and exhibition that HSC presents in partnership with Critical Exposure and the 21st Century School Fund, creates opportunities to spotlight school facilities and the impact they have on learning. The photo submissions showcase a wide spectrum of school environments both good and bad, but the message is clear: students and teachers deserve a healthy school environment in which they can learn, work and succeed.

Broken Window by Ian from Baltimore, MD

We encourage you to raise your voice on school indoor air quality. Tell Congress to fix schools in need of repair as part of its jobs-creation effort. Learn more about the Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) Billand send a letter to your Senators and Representative at www.fixamericasschoolstoday.org.

View Toxic Schools Part 1 and Part 2 online at CNN. 

These stories and those investigated by CNN remind us that every child deserves a healthy school environment.

Thank you to CNN for taking an in-depth look at this issue. 

Did you watch the special presentation? What are your thoughts?

 

School Indoor Air Quality in the Spotlight this Weekend with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta

One of the most basic promises of a school building is that it will provide a safe environment where students and teachers can focus on learning. Very simply, the school environment should not put students’ health at risk. But what happens when schools fall into disrepair and no longer fulfill that promise?

This weekend, CNN will bring much-needed attention to the issue of indoor air quality in schools, exploring the ways this widespread and often overlooked problem affects kids’ health and their long-term academic success. In this segment, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will visit schools across the country to examine the impact of poor indoor air quality.

Check out this behind-the-scenes preview:

For the past several years, HSC has partnered with Critical Exposure and the 21st Century School Fund to present Through Your Lens, a photo contest and exhibit in which students and teachers share photos of their school buildings. One of the most striking impressions from the photos is that so many schools need so many basic repairs to address issues -- from leaky roofs to moldy walls -- that affect the quality of the air students and staff breathe every day.

While this is a massive issue, it’s one that is often overlooked -- especially at budget time. The national backlog for this type of school repair is estimated to be in the range of $200 billion, a number that’s expected to grow as states and school districts face shrinking budgets and postpone facility repairs rather than cut classroom budgets.

What can you do? We encourage you to join us in leveraging this opportunity to make a difference in the air children breathe in our nation’s schools:

• Watch CNN’s segment this weekend and join the conversation online. It will air this Saturday, January 14 at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. EST, and again this Sunday, January 15 at  8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. EST.  Then raise your voice to tell CNN and the online community how important this issue is. You can share your reactions via Twitter (to @cnnpresents or @sanjayguptacnn) or online at www.CNN.com. 

• Tell Congress to fix schools in need of repair as part of its jobs-creation effort. The Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) Bill would provide funding for much-needed school repairs while creating jobs in sectors especially hard-hit by the economy. Learn more and send a letter to your Senators and Representative at www.fixamericasschoolstoday.org.

• Check out student and teacher photos in Through Your Lens. This striking collection of images shows the reality of schools in need of repair; it also shows the potential of safe, healthy schools that support learning, including many older buildings that have simply been well-maintained over the years. See the photos at www.throughyourlens.org.

Safe, healthy indoor air is a simple and fundamental part of a good learning environment. We’re looking forward to the segment this weekend and applaud CNN and advocates across the nation who are working to bring attention to this critical issue.

Raise Your Voice to Support School Repair and Renovation in Jobs Plan

by Rochelle Davis, President and CEO

In his recent address to the nation, President Obama called for federal funding for school repair and renovation as part of his jobs-creation plan. School repair and modernization are critical to student health and achievement, so I was pleased to see the president highlight this enormous need as a priority.

For a glimpse of the needed repairs this funding could begin to address, I encourage you to check out Through Your Lens, the photo contest that HSC presents with Critical Exposure and the 21st Century School Fund.

The student and teacher photos say more than I ever could about the needs and potential of our nation’s school buildings.

Broken Wooden Door by Brittney from Washington, D.C.

The photos also highlight the significant disparity in our country’s school conditions. While the president mentioned technology and science lab upgrades in his address, he also mentioned emergency repairs and asbestos removal --  basic unmet needs that stand in sharp contrast to the healthy learning environments available in other schools.

Budget Cuts by Riva from San Diego

In Through Your Lens, we not only received photos of schools in need of repair but also many photos of schools that truly support learning. Some of these show new facilities with cutting-edge technology and energy-efficient design; others show schools that have made a strong investment in the arts or in providing spaces for physical activity.

Murch Elementary School's historic Cupola by Holden from Washington, D.C.

Many powerful photos, though, simply show old school buildings that have been kept in good repair. These historic spaces may not always have the newest possible technology, but they have been maintained well and provide good environments where students and teachers can come to school and focus on learning. 

The Library by Janelle from Las Vegas

Safe, well-maintained school buildings are fundamental to learning and health. We know students and teachers can’t do their best in school if they, like students who shared their photos in Through Your Lens, are shivering next to broken windows, straining to hear over ineffective ventilation systems or worrying about water dripping through a leaky ceiling.

They also can’t do their best when they need to leave the classroom because of asthma or other health problems exacerbated by unhealthy indoor air quality. Keeping school buildings in good repair is a simple and critical element of student health and learning.

I applaud the president’s proposal to address this serious need as part of his jobs-creation plan. The plan will now go before Congress, where the school-repair funding will need strong support. Please take a moment to contact your Senators and Representative to let them know you support federal funding for school repair in the jobs bill. Click here to send a letter.

 

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If you’re interested in learning more, I encourage you to check out Education Week’s excellent summary for more background on the proposal. This recent Washington Post editorial (published prior to the president’s address) also offers compelling background on the logic of including school repair in a jobs bill.

For more on this issue, check out the Through Your Lens section of our blog.

"Fix America’s Schools Today" Proposal to Create Jobs, Bring Much-Needed Repairs to Schools

For the past several years, HSC has partnered with Critical Exposure and the 21^st Century School Fund to present Through Your Lens, a photo contest and exhibit that provides a forum for students, teachers and people in the community to document the reality of our nation’s school building conditions.

One of the most striking messages the photos convey is just how many schools need so many basic repairs. In addition to photos showing wonderful spaces that truly support learning, we’ve received hundreds of photos documenting leaky roofs, broken windows, moldy walls – the type of fundamental problems that undermine learning and actually threaten the health of the students and teachers who spend their days at school.

No Light From a Skylight, by Marlenie from washington, DC

Part of the problem, of course, is a lack of funding for school building maintenance and repair. This is a massive issue (the national backlog of school repairs is estimated to be in the range of $200 billion), especially as states and school districts face budget cuts across the board and postpone facility repairs rather than make further cuts to classroom budgets.

Leakage in classrooms, by Caitlyn from McKees Rocks

We’ve advocated for the federal government to step in with funding to address this basic need. So we were glad to see an opinion piece in last week’s Washington Post outlining a proposal that would bring much-needed repairs to our nation’s schools as part of a jobs-creation initiative. The authors, including Mary Filardo of the 21^st Century School Fund, write:

Fix America’s Schools Today is a proposal — from the 21st Century School Fund, the Economic Policy Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities — to address the backlog of repairs at the nation’s 100,000 public schools. It’s an idea that efficiently marries big problems to a big solution.

One big problem is that most school districts in our country have been deferring maintenance and repairs for years. The has led to inefficient, and thus expensive, energy use, unsafe drinking water, mold, poor air quality, inadequate fire safety systems and structural dangers. With local governments hammered by the recession, school districts do not have the resources to address this backlog, nor will they for many years to come.

The other big problem is that after the housing bust, employment opportunities crashed for construction workers. So far this year, their unemployment rate has averaged 18 percent.

An efficient and common-sense solution is a government infrastructure program to put many of these workers back on the job fixing our nations’ schools. . . .

As its name suggests, FAST could quickly get to work fixing a vital but dangerously ignored American institution, while putting hundreds of thousands back to work and providing students with better learning environments. Such an initiative also conveys an important message to our children. It’s hard for them to square the message that we, their parents, are concerned about and committed to their educational success when we send them off to schools that are in ill-repair or even unsafe.

To read the full article, click here. And be sure to visit www.ThroughYourLens.org to see more student and teacher photos of our nation’s schools.

Broken Window, by Eveen from San Diego

Through Your Lens: Student Photographer Shares Her Story at Exhibit Opening

Samantha, a high school student photographer from Washington D.C., attended the opening of the Through Your Lens photo exhibit on Capitol Hill yesterday. There, she shared her photo "Rustic Atmosphere."

When asked about the A/C unit featured in the photo, Samantha explained, 

"We often have to turn off the air conditioning unit to hear the biology teacher speak. We have to turn it off so that we can actually learn."

Watch the video below to hear Samantha's story and learn more about her school environment. 

 

What do you see at your school? 

Plus! Are you on Twitter? Join the conversation and let us know what you think about these powerful images and stories. Use #tyl2011.

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Through Yout Lens is a collaboration of the 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need for school buildings that support learning and provide a safe healthy environment for students and teachers. 

We encourage you to view the Through Your Lens exhibit on display in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Building on Capitol Hill through Friday, May 13. You can also see the virtual gallery by visiting www.ThroughYourLens.org.

Through Your Lens Exhibit Opens Today - on Capitol Hill and Online

Students and teachers from around the nation shared photos and stories about the conditions of their school buildings in the Through Your Lens contest. Now, these remarkable photos and stories illustrating the great parts and the troubling parts of our nation’s school facilities are part of the Through Your Lens Exhibit – online and on Capitol Hill!

We invite you to view the Through Your Lens exhibit! You can see the exhibit in two ways:

On Capitol Hill. The Through Your Lens exhibit is open in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate office building on Capitol Hill today through May 13, 2011. The building is open during regular office hours.

Online. Visit www.ThroughYourLens.org to view a virtual version of the exhibit online.

Please take a moment to encourage your elected leaders in Congress to view the exhibit on Capitol Hill and to support high-quality school buildings for all students, teachers, and communities.

For updates and to see photos, visit www.ThroughYourLens.org.

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need for school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

Through Your Lens: Are You Ready to Learn?

 
Submitted by Laura from Pittsburgh

This picture was taken in the sophomore chemistry class. As soon as you walk in all you see is this on the floor because of a leaking roof in the room that has still yet to be fixed. Honestly, it's hard to work in a room wondering if the roof might collapse or if it might start leaking again.

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings. Check out the gallery of photos submitted by students from all over the country and read about how you can help make changes for your own school.

And check out our recent blog to see winners of the photo contest!

Through Your Lens: Running From Water

 
Submitted by Giavanna from McKees Rocks, PA

We have plenty of water fountains in our school and they all have the same things in common. They run water, and they have green fungus growing on them. And we use these every day. I think that when our school is "cleaned" at night they should clean the water fountains too. Most of the kids hate it here because of things like this. This is the kind of thing that just makes it not worth it. How can you expect kids to come learn in an environment that they hate?

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings. Check out the gallery of photos submitted by students from all over the country and read about how you can help make changes for your own school! 

And check out our recent blog to see winners of the photo contest!

Congratulations to the Through Your Lens Student Winners!



We are excited to announce the student winners of the 2011 Through Your Lens Photo Contest! Congratulations to the student winners:

• Laquita from Washington, D.C.: "A Gym for No Fans"
• Kwon from Washington, D.C.: "Caution Kids @ Play"
• Giavanna from McKees Rocks, PA: "The Moldy Math Book" & "Running from Water"
• Sarah from Palo Alto, CA: "An Evening to Enjoy"
• David from Laguna Niguel, CA: "Shiny, New and Blue" 

Check out the remarkable winning photos:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Thank you to everyone who shared photos and stories! The winning students will receive a digital camcorder and framed print of their photo. Photos will be shown at a special exhibition in Washington, D.C. and many more will be shown in a Through Your Lens photo book and online gallery.

Through Your Lens was judged by a panel of photographers, writers and advocates. The judging panel includes renowned photographers Callie Shell, Matt Slaby and Ami Vitale; Rachel Gutter, Director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council; and student judge Ian Starks, a winner of the 2009-10 Through Your Lens contest.

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers. By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

 

Through Your Lens, Raising Awareness: A Gym For No Fans

 
Submitted by Laquita from Washington, D.C.

Cardozo SHS gym is entirely too small. There's never home games because there's not room for fans to sit or a band to play. There's not even enough room for a ball to go out of bounds!

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This photo was submitted as part of Through Your Lens, a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

Check out the gallery of photos submitted by students from all over the country and read about how you can help make changes for schools.

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Plus! Stay posted for information about a Through Your Lens photo exhibit and book!

Through Your Lens: Caution Kids @ Play

 
Submitted by Kwon from Washington, D.C.

Students at Kimball Elementary School in South East DC find the joys of childhood by jumping rope with caution tape!

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This photo was submitted as part of Through Your Lens, a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school spaces that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers will provide us all with an honest window into today’s school facilities.

Check out the gallery of photos submitted by students from all over the country and read about how you can help make changes for schools. The winning photos will be announced on March 25!

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Plus! Stay posted for information about a Through Your Lens photo exhibit and book!

Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Mornings in Motion

 
Photo by Blair from Oak Ridge, TN

Mornings in Motion is a before school fitness program at Willow Brook Elementary in Oak Ridge, TN. The program is conducted in partnership with Oak Ridge Schools' Coordinated School Health, Willow Brook Elementary and Next Level Training. This program has helped us say goodbye to your ordinary Bus Hall and has 200-300 kids every Monday, Wednesday and Friday constantly moving for 30 minutes in a variety of ways including aerobics, plyometrics, and active stretching. No matter what the child's personal fitness level or athletic ability, every child is moving and every child is successful. No waiting in line or sitting in this program. This program is reshaping the students of the Willow Brook community while adding more physical activity to the busy school day.

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

Vote for you favorite photos here! Voting will be open until March 17, 2011, with the winning photos will be announced on March 25, 2011.

Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Graffiti Lockers

 
Photo by Jezzyl from San Diego, CA

Some students are ruining the lockers by writing bad words and their names on them. It affects the school campus because the school looks dirty and it also affects the students who own the locker because they don’t want anyone to write stuff on their lockers.

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

Vote for you favorite photos here! Voting will be open until March 17, 2011, with the winning photos will be announced on March 25, 2011.

 

Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Outdoor Classroom Starts to Sprout

 
 
Photo by Candace from Barrington, IL

The excitement begins as we tear out old shrubs, bring in soil and start to plan our edible school outside classroom. Each season, we find new colors, flavors, textures and scents. By recycling and re-using safe found materials, we renew the earth and improve our health with fun fruits and vegetables. 

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

Vote for you favorite photos here! Voting will be open until March 17, 2011, and the winning photos will be announced on March 25, 2011.

Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Do Not Cross

 
Photo by Riva from San Diego, CA

This is a photo of our school lunch area being closed due to a serious violence occurrence. The school is supposed to be a place where kids should feel safe. When they see things like this it doesn’t give them a feeling of security.

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

Vote for you favorite photos here! Voting will be open until March 17, 2011, with the winning photos will be announced on March 25, 2011.

Through Your Lens: Make Your Voice Heard

Today we have a guest blog from Andrew Anatasi of Critical Exposure, a nonprofit that teaches youth to use the power of photography and their own voices to become effective advocates for school reform and social change. HSC is partnering with Critical Exposure and the 21st Century School Fund to present the Through Your Lens photo and essay contest.

Today is the last day to submit entries in the contest -- visit www.ThroughYourLens.org to enter!

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“Every student deserves to go to a high quality school because we are the future of the world. We deserve to come to school and not have to worry about the conditions we learn in.”

 
“OVERCROWDED GYM CLASS” by Dorales (11th Grade), Edison H.S., Philadelphia

In 2008 Critical Exposure worked with the students of Youth United for Change in Philadelphia and with students from two high schools in Western Pennsylvania. Students learned basic techniques of photography and took pictures depicting inequalities in their schools. Student photos were exhibited in Philadelphia’s City Hall, in a major downtown shopping area in Philadelphia, and in the Pennsylvania State House in Harrisburg, where a reception and rally were held.

In addition, the campaign created a YouTube video and materials for legislators, all of which featured students’ photos in order to illustrate the blatant inequities in the state school system. Student photographers helped the Education Law Center and Good Schools Pennsylvania to win a landmark victory:  the Pennsylvania state legislature increased education funding by $275 million and changed the way it distributes education funding in order to benefit underserved schools.

Baruch Kintisch, one of the campaign’s lead organizers, said:

“Without [photographs], student voices would not have been heard in the same way. They inspired and taught us how to help students express their voices and helped us become much more focused on the power of students speaking for themselves, visually through photography and through their writing. Our campaign would definitely not have been as successful without their work.”

Christina, a sophomore from Philadelphia said:

“I had something as small as a camera, but to me, it meant so much more. The opportunity to take pictures was my first time to finally be heard, not only by my friends and family, but by the media and public. Being part of this program I learned that even the smallest thing such as the camera, can give you power and you need to use it in a way that benefits you and your society.”

 
“OUT OF ORDER” by Ken (11th Grade), Sto-Rox School District

“I took this photo to depict the state of despair that parts of our school are in. Although we are used to visuals such as this in our school, they affect our thoughts daily. We feel as though we do not deserve better. Therefore, we are less inclined to strive for better.”

Make Your Voice Heard!

Critical Exposure's experience in Pennsylvania illustrates the power of photographs and student voices to make change for school facilities. Now, we encourage you to show the world what you see at school as part of the Through Your Lens photo and essay contest. The deadline is today, March 7.

To learn more and share your photos, visit www.throughyourlens.org

Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Undrinkable Water Fountain

 
Photo by Laura from Jersey City, NJ

We have not been able to drink water from the fountains for a few years now since our water is contaminated with lead.  

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

 

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

The contest deadline for submitting photos is March 7, 2011. Submit your photo here!

 

 

Plus! You can view and vote for other photos here!

 



Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Punching Holes into the Foundation

 
Photo by Chelsie from McKees Rocks, PA

This is one of our pillars in the cafeteria. The hole is about size of a hand, fingers spread. It goes in about 5 inches in. It’s been there for as long as I can remember, and each year the size grows for the lack of maintenance. The tile is falling apart around it, causing the pillar to not be very stable. The pillars which hold this school together are falling, how long will it be until the school falls too?  

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

The contest deadline for submitting photos is today, March 7, 2011. Submit your photo here!



Through Your Lens Photo Contest: Troy

 
Photo by Elizabeth from Nashville, TN

McCarthy Tezler is a school that serves the most significantly disabled students in Spartanburg County. This year, the school unveiled its new outdoor natural play, learning and sensory area. I came to visit the school shortly after the unveiling and captured this shot of Troy, a child in one of McCarthy Tezler's special education classrooms, exploring the big new slide on the playground.  

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Through Your Lens is a collaboration of The 21st Century School Fund, Critical Exposure, and Healthy Schools Campaign to raise awareness of the need to fund school buildings that support learning and provide a safe, healthy environment for students and teachers.

 

By sharing photos and stories of what they see every day at school, students and teachers provide us all with an honest window into today’s school buildings.

The contest deadline for submitting photos is March 7, 2011. Submit your photo here!

 

Plus! You can view and vote for other photos here!