STEM AND STEAM

RPCS has always been distinguished by its teaching excellence. As we look to the future of education and the skills required of our graduates over the next few decades, we must sustain our distinction by further integrating our academic programs. We will foster innovation in teaching and learning, strengthening the skills our girls need to be successful in a 21st century world.

Highlight: RPCS Outdoor Classroom

The green roof on top of RPCS’s Athletic Complex grows native Maryland plants that absorb water and reduce stormwater runoff, and is largely responsible for the building’s LEED Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The roof serves as an important teaching tool and demonstration site for energy conservation, either tangentially when students and employees use the jogging track or more intentionally when classes intend to better understand sustainable design. RPCS has a second vegetative roof, over our bottle brick bench, which was constructed using plastic waste and bottles with the help of PS-12 students and our faculty. The two vegetative roofs are part of the RPCS Outdoor Classrooms, which also include:

• Herb Garden
• Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens
• Three Sisters Garden
• Rain Garden
• Native Meadow
• Monarch Butterfly Waystation
• The Backwoods

There are many ways our students use the outdoor classrooms through their  work in STEAM/STEM. One example is the design engineering project in the  8th grade where students design a green roof. Students use the vegetative  roof as a resource and model for their work. Through project-based learning,  our students (PS-12) are constantly combining concepts when using the  outdoor classrooms.