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Department of Ecology News Release - May 19, 2009
09-114
OLYMPIA – Forty-one Northwest Washington area public and private schools will receive cash awards in Olympia on May 21, 2009, for their outstanding environmental programs.
The Terry Husseman School Awards program, presented by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), recognizes schools annually for developing and implementing innovative curricula, sustaining ongoing waste reduction efforts, or starting new environmental programs.
This was the first year private schools were eligible to compete in the environmental awards program. Of the 67 applications received, 12 were from private schools and 11 received awards.
The schools will receive their awards from Ecology Deputy Director Polly Zehm at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the Department of Social and Health Services headquarters building in Olympia. The ceremony celebrates exceptional efforts to conserve resources, reduce waste and preserve the environment. Some of the programs include habitat restoration, alternative energy projects, and recycling.
Award amounts range from $100 to $5,000. A total of more than $52,800 will be awarded across the state. The region’s school winners for the 2008-09 school year are listed below.
“This is a limited investment in our students and our schools that will have long-term benefits by building environmental infrastructure and teaching the concepts of stewardship and sustainable behaviors,” said Laurie Davies, manager of Ecology’s Solid Waste Program. “What they learn at school, they can practice at home, pass on to family and practice for a lifetime.”
The three categories of Terry Husseman awards are Seed Award, Sustainable School Award, and Environmental Curriculum Award.
The Seed Award helps schools with start-up costs for new programs in schools or the community.
Coupeville Juvenile Detention Center – Coupeville – Island County. The center will use its award for recycling bins, a scale and science kits; $920.
Washington Elementary – Auburn -- King County. The award will purchase supplies for raised garden beds and compost bins; $1,420.
Community School of West Seattle – Seattle -- King County. The school will use its award for rain barrels, soaker hoses, drought tolerant plants, project wet kits, and automatic shut off water faucets; $2,120.
St. Alphonsus Catholic School – Seattle -- King County. This award will help the school purchase organic garden, composting and rain barrel supplies; $1,500.
Giddens School – Seattle -- King County. This award will purchase interpretive garden panels that will provide information on composting, habitats and conservation; $1,015.
Montessori Children's House – Redmond -- King County. The school will purchase worm bins, rain barrels, seeds and educational materials; $300.
Roxhill Elementary – Seattle -- King County. This award is for the purchase of cafeteria waste composting supplies; $490.
Somerset Elementary – Bellevue -- King County. This award will help with the purchase of supplies for a composting program; $2,000.
North Hill Elementary – Des Moines -- King County. The school will use this award to conduct a native habitat restoration project on school grounds; $1,000.
Kent Phoenix Academy – Kent -- King County. The school will purchase organic garden tools and supplies; $1,650.
Wilkes Elementary – Bainbridge Island -- Kitsap County. The school will use this award to support the Green Team’s organic gardening project; $505.
David Wolfe Elementary – Kingston -- Kitsap County. This award will purchase supplies for a garden-to-lunchroom program; $200.
Centennial Middle – Snohomish -- Snohomish County. The school will use its award to purchase recycling bins; $900.
Northshore Christian Academy – Everett -- Snohomish County. This award will be used to purchase recycling receptacles for classrooms, offices and lunchrooms; $300.
Columbia Elementary – Bellingham -- Whatcom County. This award will help set up a school store that would sell sustainable school supplies to students. $2,365
Custer Elementary – Custer -- Whatcom County. The school will start a food to flowers program; $250.
The Sustainable School Award recognizes schools that focus on waste reduction, recycling and sustainability.
Washington Elementary – Auburn -- King County. This school is being rewarded for a successful and productive organic garden that thrives on student involvement; $500.
Gatewood Elementary School – Seattle -- King County. The school operates a student-run composting program that has diverted 95 percent of compostable and recyclable materials from its waste stream; $300.
Secondary Academy for Success – Bothell -- King County. Students and staff are involved in environmental projects at the school and at a sustainable farm in Woodenville. Students are given the opportunity to learn about many different environmental issues; $500.
St. Edward School – Seattle -- King County. The school changed its cafeteria procedure to reduce waste and encourage better eating habits; $300.
Montlake Elementary – Seattle -- King County. This school’s program emphasizes stewardship through organic gardening, landscaping with native plants, and carbon footprint reduction; $300.
St. Joseph School – Seattle -- King County. The school works to foster environmental leadership and promote sustainability through recycling and ecological stewardship; $300.
Montessori Children's House – Redmond -- King County. The school provides ongoing education to effectively reduce classroom waste and encourage recycling; $300.
Wedgwood Elementary – Seattle -- King County. This school’s winning program emphasizes sustainability and focuses on students becoming global citizens; $500.
Explorer Community School – Redmond -- King County. Not only does this school help support the local food bank, but it is involved in habitat reclamation and promotes sustainable living; $300.
Sandburg & Discovery Elementaries – Kirkland -- King County. In addition to recycling, this school has composting and an organic garden. This year students and staff hope to complete the transition from disposable dishware to durable dishes; $200.
Wilkes Elementary – Bainbridge Island -- Kitsap County. This school was recognized for building environmental awareness through food waste reduction, vermicomposting, and raising money for charity; $200.
Immaculate Conception Regional School – Mount Vernon -- Skagit County. This award will implement the school’s "Cool School Challenge" to reduce its carbon footprint. The school also operates recycling and nature programs; $300.
Edison Elementary – Bow -- Skagit County. This school not only recycles, but composts and promotes sustainable living; $300.
Sehome High – Bellingham -- Whatcom County. Students involved in this extensive recycling program gain confidence and skills they can carry into adulthood. They also get to work with "Spirit," the therapy dog; $200.
Ten Mile Creek Elementary – Everson -- Whatcom County. This school emphasizes the reduction of food and paper waste through composting; $300.
Nooksack Valley High – Everson -- Whatcom County. This successful recycling education program involves both students and faculty; $500.
Lynden High – Lyndon -- Whatcom County. This school has built on its success by recycling more and more items. The program has seen a major reduction in the amount of materials sent to the landfill; $200.
Mt. Baker School District's Sustainability Program – Deming -- Whatcom County. Mt. Baker’s schools set the standard for sustainability in public schools. Students in this district graduate with 13 years of composting, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling experience. In Mt. Baker, each school participates in the recycling program and promotes re-use and toxic-free practices. Recent additions to their programs include: a food composting program they call Food to Flowers; and a district-wide energy awareness program that educates everyone on how to save energy by making simple changes in their buildings and at home. The Mt. Baker Schools are doing an amazing job of promoting sustainability for their students and the community. Students of Acme, Mt. Baker, Kendall, and Harmony are fortunate to have such a vibrant and sustainable program of reuse and recycling; $2,000.
The Environmental Curriculum Award recognizes original curricula that introduce students, teachers, staff and administrators to the concepts of waste reduction, recycling and sustainability.
Explorer West Middle – Seattle -- King County. This school’s innovative curriculum uses sustainability as a lens through which to frame all learning, creating a unique school culture of decision and action. Students are exposed to both academic and experiential aspects of sustainability through classroom curriculum, outdoor education, service learning, and community projects; $300.
Eastside Preparatory School – Kirkland -- King County. The goal of this curriculum is to provide a community focal point for urban sustainability for interdisciplinary education and student projects. It includes a comprehensive curriculum map, a specifically designed sustainability class and numerous supporting programs and classes; $1,000.
Global Connections High – SeaTac -- King County. This marketing program not only teaches students how to market products and services—it teaches them to do so with an emphasis on sustainable business and marketing practices. This is evident in all class curriculum, projects, field trips, community partnerships and in school-based, student-run business; $500.
Timber Ridge Alternative High – Bellingham -- Whatcom County. In this interdisciplinary study of the ecology and economics of local, national, and global food systems, students learn about the journey of food from photosynthesis through harvest, subsidies, export, resource consumption, and human metabolism, as well as the importance of local food through creating a business plan for growing starts to sell at a local farmer's market; $1,000.
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Media Contacts:
Larry Altose, media relations, 425-649-7009
Kathy Davis, media relations, 360-407-6149
Michelle Payne, Sustainable School Awards coordinator, 360-407-6129
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
