Green Ribbon School Winners Announced

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) has recently announced its 2013 winners. Those schools and districts honored with the recognition exemplify commitments to energy efficiency, sustainability and an overall healthy environment for students, faculty and staff.
ED-GRS is a federal recognition program that began in September 2011. The program presented its first winners in 2012. It is only the second year of the awards by the ED-GRS and the first year for the District Sustainability Awards. This year, ED-GRS reviewed nominations from 32 state education agencies (where multiple schools were evaluated in certain states) in order to narrow down the list of honorees, according to the ED-GRS. After being reviewed by several committees, the ED-GRS selected 64 schools and 14 districts to spotlight their exemplary efforts in making a conscious decision to support sustainable and green efforts in education.
“Awardees prove that any school or district can take simple steps to cut costs and improve the health, safety and educational adequacy of school facilities; ensure good nutrition and fitness practices for a lifetime of wellness, productivity and achievement; and use the environment as a lens to engage students in hands-on learning in STEM subjects, languages, social studies, arts and humanities,” said Andrea Suarez Falken, director of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and Facilities, Health and Environment Liaison, in a statement.

The winners are located throughout the country and include 29 LEED-certified schools, 215 EPA ENERGY STAR schools and three Collaborative for High Performance Schools.

California, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin all tied for the most schools/districts to be honored by the ED-GRS. Each of the states had five schools or facilities recognized — more than any other states on the list.

Each of the 64 schools and 14 districts to make the 2013 list implemented environmentally responsible components in some aspect of the design or curriculum of the school. Many of the schools also utilized their location in order to teach students the importance of protecting and nurturing their local communities. One of the honorees, Charles Evans Hughes Middle School in Long Beach, Calif., organizes eco-service projects each year in order to make the school and community aware of their environmental impact. The school is also located just five miles from the ocean, so students engage in service projects to address litter, urban run-off and ocean pollution. Along with environmentally conscious students, the school itself also serves as an example of energy efficiency, as it uses electronic thermostats, natural lighting and water efficiency strategies, which have resulted in an annual energy savings of $3.6 million since 2002.

Another school making the list is Jefferson Elementary-Fox River Academy in Appleton, Wis. Jefferson Elementary-Fox River Academy was able to integrate sustainability into the curriculum as well as the campus itself. The school provides outdoor learning activities including lessons taking place at the school’s five gardens, a wetland area, forest, stream and pond. Students are guided through Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP), which teaches students different energy topics across all grade levels. Under KEEP, students also monitor energy use of their school building.

ED-GRS honors the proactive approach by schools throughout the country that are implementing sustainability and environmental responsibility in students and school facilities. In order to be considered for a Green Ribbon School honor, state education agencies must nominate districts or schools and fill out the appropriate application by the set deadline and submit to ED-GRS. The winners of this year’s Green Ribbon Schools will be celebrated in a ceremony by the U.S. Department of Education on June 3. To find out more about the event and how to get involved for next year please visit the U.S. Department of Education.

Alabama
Fayetteville High School, Sylacauga
Munford Middle School and Munford High School, Munford
Harriette W. Gwin Elementary School, Hoover
Talladega County
Arkansas
Fayetteville District
California
Charles Evans Hughes Middle School, Long Beach
Journey School, Aliso Viejo
Redding School of the Arts II, Redding
Prospect Sierra School, El Cerrito
Oak Park Unified School District 
Colorado
Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School, Fort Collins
Douglas County School District
Connecticut 
Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, New Haven
Common Ground High School, New Haven
Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker, Hartford
Delaware 
St. Andrew’s School, Middletown
District of Columbia 
Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School
Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School
Woodrow Wilson High School
Florida
Driftwood Middle School, Hollywood
St. Paul Lutheran School, Lakeland
School District of Palm Beach County
Georgia
Ford Elementary School, Acworth
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Indiana
Guion Creek Middle School, Indianapolis
Iowa
Starmont Community School, Arlington
Des Moines Independent Community School District
Kansas
Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School, Shawnee
Kentucky
Locust Trace AgriScience Farm, Lexington
Cane Run Elementary School, Louisville
Northern Elementary School, Georgetown
Maryland
Cedar Grove Elementary School, Germantown
Summit Hall Elementary School, Gaithersburg
Montgomery County Public Schools
Massachusetts 
Berkshire School, Sheffield
Manchester Essex Regional Middle High School, Manchester By-the-Sea
Quincy High School, Quincy
Acton Public Schools and Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
Minnesota 
Jeffers Pond Elementary School, Prior Lake
Heritage E-STEM Middle School, West St. Paul
School of Environmental Studies, Apple Valley
Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools
Mississippi
Watkins Elementary School, Jackson
Nebraska
King Science and Technology Magnet Center, Omaha
New Hampshire
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter
New Jersey
Bedwell Elementary School, Bernardsville
Summerfield Elementary School, Neptune
New York
Crompond School, Yorktown Heights
Hubert H. Humphrey PS 057, Staten Island
Rye Country Day School, Rye
Ohio
Kenston High School, Chagrin Falls
Pennsylvania 
Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School, Philadelphia
Broughal Community Middle School, Bethlehem
Westtown School, West Chester
Nazareth Area Middle School, Nazareth
Lower Merion School District
Rhode Island
Providence Career and Technical Academy, Providence
The Compass School, Kingston
Tennessee
Lipscomb Academy Elementary School, Nashville
Ivy Academy, Soddy-Daisy
Vermont 
St. Albans City School, St. Albans
Reading Elementary School, Reading
Shelburne Community School, Shelburne
Virginia 
Magna Vista High School, Ridgeway
Stony Point Elementary School, Keswick
Washington 
Glacier Park Elementary School, Maple Valley
Sacajawea Elementary School, Vancouver 
Tahoma Senior High School, Covington
The Evergreen School, Shoreline
Kent School District
West Virginia 
Hometown Elementary School, Red House
Petersburg Elementary School, Petersburg
Marshall County Schools
Wisconsin 
Jefferson Elementary-Fox River Academy, Appleton
Racine Montessori School, Racine
Summit Environmental School, La Crosse
Westlawn Elementary School, Cedarburg
School District of Fort Atkinson

Source: U.S. Department of Education