Mr. Pedersen will use the Teacher Grant for Innovation to address a local challenge faced by Paulding County High School. Adjacent to the school campus is a massive dump site for tires, where over 200 tires have been dumped over time. These tires are problematic for numerous reasons, but foremost is the environmental concern as rubber tires can take 80 years to fully decompose. Students have been challenged to solve this dilemma through problem-based learning (PBL), thus the project will span across multiple grade levels and content areas. Funds will be used to repurpose the tires for use as shingles to replace existing roofs on the school’s garden shed and barn. Students will also use the tires to build elevated sensory gardens for outdoor learning throughout campus and at neighboring elementary schools. Lastly, students will examine the microbial diversity in the intermittent stream bed before and after the removal of tires using genetic barcoding.
