Urban planning experts praise the health and psychological benefits of green space and for Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD), green playfields are a must for instruction and outdoor activities. As California faces its fourth consecutive year of below average rainfall and historically low levels of Sierra snowpack, the California Governor and local water districts are increasing efforts to restrict water usage. The result of this is that the EGUSD Facilities and Planning department must grapple with the complexity of maintaining healthy outdoor learning environments while adhering to new state mandates for water conservation.

All of the water districts that serve EGUSD currently restrict watering to only two days per week. At the state level, the Governor mandated a 20 percent reduction in water use, a moratorium on new, non-essential landscaping projects, active participation of occupants to report leaks and other water usage issues, signage to promote water conservation in public areas with access to water, and adherence to local water ordinances and conservation protocols.

Responding to the water crisis presents two challenging problems for the EGUSD facilities' staff. The first challenge is maintaining educational and environmental green space that promotes physical activity, psychological well-being, and during warmer weather, keeps play areas cool, provides clean air to breath, and prevents erosion and runoff. The second task is creating a plan to meet the current conservation demands with 1,200 acres of landscaped irrigation needs, which dramatically exceeds drinking and building water needs.

Rob Pierce, Associate Superintendent of Facilities, presented the District's green space situation at a recent board meeting and emphasized, "Our students, coaches, and P.E. teachers will feel the effects of the water restrictions the most and our goal is to do our best to keep our coveted green spaces viable and safe. We are working with our regional counterparts to solve the primary problem that as watering needs increase we will not be able to increase watering." Although facilities' crews do their best to accommodate outside learning, mandated water days may conflict with educational or student activity needs. Understanding that children need green space for their development and well-being, the District is working to ensure that all students maintain access to these critical ecosystem services. 

Frustrated community and staff members may not understandwhat the District is required to comply with to meet these mandates. For example, according to Mr. Pierce, "The dramatic restrictions may require us to continue watering even on mild rainy days or days before or after a mild rain, just to ensure the fields get what water they can. Fields will need to be watered even when sites and/or community members might think it is unnecessary or inconvenient for their individual needs." Put simply, watering practices will vary from site to site within EGUSD and unfortunately, depending on restrictions moving forward, watering levels will likely keep plants alive, but not thriving.

Current maintenance practices dictate that irrigation technicians will water 2 or 3 day per week as mandated. Water at sites irrigated with ground water sources will be reduced by 20% or as testing dictates. Custodians and all staff will be asked to report leaks, waste and various problems, and maintenance and operations staff will make it a priority to make needed leak repairs. Irrigation technicians will prioritize the repair of sprinklers, over spray, leaky valves, and monitor watering days, and custodial staff will monitor waste and corrections closely and will submit timely work orders.

Greater monitoring accompanies these increased restrictions with more frequent water surveys of irrigation systems and increased ground water level monitoring for sites with wells. Additionally, students and staff will see more signage and posters for all sites in restrooms, break rooms, and areas with access to water reminding them about water conservation methods. 

 renaissance in new conservation techniques and ideas. Sites irrigated with reclaimed water may not be as affected as those using ground or domestic water. Also, new varieties of grasses may supplant older species. Urban landscaping and new incentives are surfacing as the State Water Resources Control Board and local water districts begin to encourage neighborhoods to replace thirsty lawns with drought resistant native plants.

On February 26, 2015 about 30 Pleasant Grove High School students ventured out of the classroom to check out the Siemens high speed rail mock-up at the State Capitol. Michael Young and Colin Denney, both Career Technical Education teachers from the engineering academy, IDEA (Innovative Design and Engineering Academy), accompanied the academy students who were given tours hosted by Siemens engineers, quality assurance directors, and business development staff.

IDEA is an academy that prepares students for careers in cleantechnology and renewable energy. Areas of study include energy, water and natural resource conservation, clean vehicle technology, construction and maintenance of energy-efficient technologies, energy-efficient buildings and research and maintenance of geothermal, biomass, fuel cells, solar, wind and biodiesel power. This District-certified academy also offers its students articulated post-secondary credits.

During the tour, academy students asked many insightful questions, explored the cab of the train, pushed button, sat in the driver's seat, and later relaxed in the first class lounge car adjusting the seats and turning the LED lights on and off. Siemens has been a long-time partner with schools in the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) providing elementary school-aged children and high school students with hands-on opportunities into the world of science, technology, and math.

Educational partnerships like Siemens or SMUD offer local students access to real-world innovations. Kathy Hamilton, Director of Career Technical Education and College & Career Readiness for EGUSD, stressed, "We want our graduates to be career and college ready and to be prepared to address 21^st century problems. Solving societal problems like road congestion, carbon emissions, and the depletion of fossil fuels by understanding the latest in technological innovations are examples of the kinds of issues our engineering students will face in the future either as engineers or active citizens." High speed rail isn't just about a train, it's about regenerative braking, electrification, reducing carbon emissions, and enabling people to move from point A to point B faster, more efficiently, and more environmentally sustainable. By providing the IDEA academy students an opportunity to see a high speed train and talk to the people who design and build them, it makes the idea of becoming an engineer all the more real and possible.

About Siemens AG

About The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) 

The sales of the art work show go directly to the Mustard Seed Students and the programs at Mustard Seed School to further education and creativity.  

pediatrician and sports medicine physician 

Spring sports are getting underway. Sports like baseball, softball, tennis, volleyball, soccer, track provide young athletes with opportunities to not just build athletic skills but learn life lessons in cooperation and team-building.

 Sports can also unite schools and whole communities.

But with the growing numbers of sports-related injuries among young athletes, parents, coaches, referees, and school and league officials need to be more vigilant than ever.  Some injuries, if treated correctly, and early, can lead to a faster and healthier return to sports with a lower risk of more injuries.

 Every year over 3.5 million children aged 14 and younger are treated for sports related injuries (AAOS, Play It Safe, 1999).  Nearly 50% of middle and high school injuries are believed to be overuse injuries (AAOS, AAOS Now, 2009).

 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate there are about 300,000 sports-related concussions reported around the country each year. About 100,000 of them are related to football and recent data indicates that girls' soccer has the second-highest concussion rate after football - often related to hitting their heads on the ground or running into other players.

  Sports are now a year-round phenomenon and the intensity and level of play have increased. Athletes are also specializing earlier. Boys and girls as young as 9 or 10 are concentrating on one sport, and often a single position within that sport. This can often contribute to overuse injuries as these young athletes work the same muscles, bones and joints month after month with little rest. As a result of this and other factors, the potential for injury appears to have grown.

 A common and devastating sports injury is a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. These injuries more often happen with no contact at all, and may occur when young athletes are performing cutting or landing motions, like those executed in soccer.

The therapies and surgical techniques for treating these injuries have advanced dramatically, but the best strategy remains the same: prevention,reducing or eliminating the need for treatment.

Surgery to repair a torn ACL puts a young athlete on thesideline for an average of nine months to a year. While ligament tears can never be entirely preventable, studies indicate that a regular program of flexibility, agility and strengthening exercises can significantly reduce the chance of injury.

 Kaiser Permanente has developed a program for ACL prevention that is available to both Kaiser members and the public. For more information, visit: Kaiser Permanente ACL

For all injuries, prevention needs to start before a young athlete begins playing a sport. The first step is visiting with a qualified physician who can assess the young person's fitness and suitability for a particular sport, and can advise the athlete and his or her family on how to prevent injuries common to that sport.

 Wearing sunscreen, the right protective gear and appropriate clothing can also make a big difference in keeping kids safe from sports injuries. Make sure protective pads, mouth and wrist guards, helmets, gloves, and other equipment fit well. They should be appropriate to the sport and player position and they should be in good condition. If it's not properly maintained, that protective gear might not fully protect a young athlete.