Congratulations Green School Class of 2010
Green Schools of Excellence
Pine Jog Elementary School
Pine Jog Elementary is the recipient of our top cash award of $2,000.
Pine Jog Elementary, only in its second year of operation, has committed itself to the vision of becoming a world leader in the creation of a culture of sustainability for future generations through a curricular focus on science, nature and art. Pine Jog respectfully uses its protected 150-acre environment as a unique outdoor classroom, including native nature trails and restoration areas; a hands-on, 4,000 plant student-tended, hydroponic garden and a newly established butterfly garden. Pine Jog focuses on their students living green every day by making responsible choices to conserve, reuse and recycle with the guidance of a committed faculty and staff. Pine Jog uses its LEED Certified facility as a laboratory where students can learn about conservation - this year a particular focus was on recording energy usage and working on plans to reduce its consumption. The students at Pine Jog Elementary are at the forefront of its school’s environmental efforts, especially the student group called the OWL Team (Our World LEEDers). This year, the OWL Team researched the native trees and shrubs on their campus and designed an informational and interactive, Native Plant Hunt, complete with outdoor signage for the entire school to use. Students are in charge of solid waste disposal, examining rainwater collected, and even leading nature tours off campus. Pine Jog Elementary is making sure that the leaders of tomorrow are instilled with values of stewardship and conservation. This school year, Pine Jog was recognized as one of three finalists in the Governor’s statewide Green Schools Awards
Roosevelt Middle School
Roosevelt Middle School is the deserving recipient of our cash award of $1,000.
Roosevelt Middle School is changing the way urban students think about the environment. The school’s 300 magnet students taking their Environmental Science class work on many projects that drive the environmental philosophy and consciousness of the school. From crating native habitats and planting tomato gardens and wildflowers in tiny corners of open space on campus, to building hydroponics in the courtyard to walking to field trips instead of taking a bus, their students are learning the best way to go green is by initiating change. Roosevelt’s students are making an impact on the community around them through a partnership with the City of West Palm Beach and the urban growers Community Garden to help put agriculture in Coleman Park. Students took a school project to get rid of Styrofoam in the cafeteria and brought it to the county level with an online petition. The Green Team on campus, consisting of teachers, students and administration, has planned an entire week of environmental education and stewardship activities for Earth Week. Faculty have worked together to effectively infuse environmental topics into the curriculum from having students create green businesses to evaluating how much energy is wasted in their homes
Jupiter Farms Elementary School
Jupiter Farms Elementary School is the deserving recipient of our cash award of $1,000.
Although this is Jupiter Farms first year being recognized as a Green School, it is evident that going green as been part of their culture for many years. Project Naturescope, an environmental education program, was launched eighteen years ago at Jupiter Farms to help connect their students to the unique rural environment of the school. Utilizing student and community talents, this cooperative effort embraces environmental awareness and activism. At its backbone are the veteran student members of Project Naturescope who carry with them the message of environmental responsibility throughout the school and mentor younger students. Project Naturescope maintains three nature trails, including their newest addition, Raccoon Run, as well as several butterfly gardens and has developed two after-school clubs. Naturescope members oversee multiple recycling initiatives, and work with community partners to further new projects such as the Ladybug Lane Reading Garden and permanent trail signage for the Panther Path Nature Trail. In January 2010, Jupiter Farms was awarded the Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc., Education and Beautification Grant for Elementary Schools for its efforts.
Palm Beach Day Academy
Palm Beach Day Academy is the recipient of one of our Judges Choice awards of $500.
Palm Beach Day Academy has evolved from a Green School of Quality toa Green School of Excellence. Teachers and students have demonstrated an ongoing and enhanced commitment to environmental protection and sustainable practices at both their school campuses. From lunchroom composting and recycled art projects to installation of rain barrels, students are taught to consider how their everyday actions impact the Earth. Butterfly, vegetable and native plant gardens are integrated into classroom instruction; composting is a new project led by the fifth graders; monthly zero waste lunch days were combined with school-wide assemblies and parent newsletters to educate about what makes a zero waste lunch and why it is important. Palm Beach Day chose to use their Green Seed money this year to help purchase reusable plates and cups for every class on their Lower School campus and thus eliminate the use of disposables for classroom events. Also Palm Beach Day reinvented their school mascot logo to represent their school wide efforts to be green - the “Go Green” Bulldog Logo.
St. Mark Catholic School
St. Mark Catholic School is the recipient of one of our Judges Choice awards of $500.
St Mark’s Green Team with teacher, administrator, parent and student members cultivates numerous green initiatives within the school. Natural areas and a variety of gardens surround the campus. To promote a school-wide message to refuse to use plastic, students collected 1, 000 plastic bags and created the Bag Monster costume that was used in student-created skits to educate the entire student body. The Green Team has also led efforts to collaborate with in-school and many community partners to change the culture of the school to one of sustainability. Students led the effort to work with scientists and community leaders to collect data to help preserve and manage nearby Mangrove Park. St. Mark actively rewards students for positive environmental behaviors - students “caught” doing something “green” by a student member of the Green Team receive the “Green Pickle Award” - an actual jumbo pickle! And St. Mark chose to request that its Green School application be submitted via their wiki-space this year, avoiding use of compact discs. This will set the standard for next year.
Jupiter Middle School
Jupiter Middle has continued its journey as a Green School this year by working very hard to continue its many projects
from last year and institute new ones. This year, they promoted an “Eat Your Greens” campaign to encourage healthier eating. Jupiter Middle has engaged many community partners to promote their green agenda. At the Green School Summit, Jupiter Middle connected with Kids Ecology Corp and this community partner helped them install their organic vegetable garden. Jupiter Middle School also gives back to the community by conducting school-wide collections for organizations such as Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and Loggerhead Turtle Center. The Jupiter Middle School Treehuggers continue to work at the Abacoa Green Market selling organic & fair trade products. Finally, Jupiter Middle won recycling and energy conservation awards this year from the School District.
Jupiter High School
Jupiter High has initiated “The Healing Garden” project on its campus - a special garden designed as a therapeutic place
of peace and serenity. A student team has worked with an ESE specialist to insure that the garden best serves the needs of their special needs students who will also be responsible for its upkeep. Jupiter’s EnviroService program continues to be a model in environmental service learning with Jupiter High School students engaged in numerous environmental projects throughout Palm Beach County and with an incredible number of community partners. The AP Environmental Science students and the Green Tuesday group are producing and airing morning PSA’s on a wide variety of environmental issues. To reduce the number of automobiles trips to Jupiter High each day by parents, students have created a series of signs spaced out along the drive with the following message: “Are you driving….just one kid…. Carpool… the earth will be glad you did.” And…the Culinary Arts program has adopted composting which is used in various gardening projects.
Morikami Park Elementary School
Morikami Park’s principal began the year by appointing a new Earth Committee of teachers to make recommendations
regarding Green School initiatives; and the committee has responded with a focus on saving energy and encouraging ownership of school-wide sustainable practices. Additionally, Morikami Park’s Green Task Force, comprised of parents and teachers, meet monthly to plan and implement green school strategies again with a concerted focus this year on energy efficiency and conservation. Students at Morikami Park are involved in four environmental clubs: two Earth Clubs, the Recycling Club and the Garden Club. On May 1st, Morikami Park will be planning over 500 native trees in the wetland adjacent to their school - the culmination of a large scale habitat restoration project with many community partners.
Green Schools of Quality
Clifford O. Taylor/Kirklane Elementary
This year, C.O. Taylor moved into a beautifully rebuilt, LEED certifiedschool. They decided that along with the old building
going down, so would their old ways! They determined to enter their new school with a “green” frame of mind” and they did! They educated all staff and students on what it means to be green; they initiated their recycling program with the student Radical Recyclers. Their Green Team worked to initiate school-wide green curriculum and activities, including the student Green Club; a school-wide focus on saving energy; their innovative Parents Going Green night to help their families be more sustainable at home and the Daily Green Tidbit on the morning announcements.
Grassy Waters Elementary
Grassy Waters Elementary has made great strides in their green school initiatives moving from a Green School of Promise to a Green School of Quality. This year, they established the 3C Club - Character, Conservation & Community - for interested K-5 students, and the response from students was overwhelming. This growing group of students are maintaining and enhancing their butterfly garden and composting with worms. Additionally their 4H club and 3C Club worked together to plan, prepare and maintain a vegetable garden and sold the produce to parents and staff. As a service learning project, the 3C Club researched the growing problem of “homeless” pets, made and sold organic dog treats and donated their proceeds to a rescue shelter.
Greenacres Elementary School
Greenacres has maintained its environmental commitment through its Ecology Club for the primary grades; the Gardening Club for the intermediate grades; and the student-based Green Team that encourages all students and staff to recycle and go green. Greenacres is a Project WILD school with the majority of its teachers trained in how to incorporate environmental education activities into their curriculum. Their newly formed Green Team Task Force has initiated many ways to communicate green messages at school and at home.
Northboro Montessori Magnet School
Next year, Northboro will move into their LEED certified facility which will combine historical aspects of the old structure with the new. They decided in preparation for their move into a green building to get a jump on going green this year. As a result of their new mindset for thinking and acting green, students have actively been engaged in recycling, butterfly gardening; the Home & School Water Pledge; and an Energy Poster contest. The school’s Green Team is working hard to have “going green” be a pervasive theme throughout the school.
Palm Springs Community Middle School
Palm Springs Community Middle School is the deserving recipient of one of our Judges Choice awards of $500
Palm Springs Community Middle School is being recognized as a Green School for the second year. Their efforts this year have moved them from a Green School of Promise to a Green School of Quality. Their school’s mascot, the stingray, has been given the name “Green Ray” and the student environmental club has dubbed themselves the “Green Rays”. Palm Springs has continued and expanded its school wide recycling program, but has expanded its “greening” to the community by partnering with Keep Palm Beach county Beautiful to clean up Lake Worth Beach and Phipps Park. The Green Rays have also raised and donated money to environmental groups, such as Defenders of Wildlife. The students of Palm Springs middle have been recognized for their energy conservation gains - being one of 5 top schools in the County for energy savings.
S.D. Spady Elementary Montessori Magnet School
Almost half of S.D. Spady’s classrooms have some type of garden where students learn through participating in the process
of gardening. Classes have begun to use composting to reduce lunch waste. The school recycling club is in charge of the school’s recycling program. Their Green Team is made up of teachers, administrators, parents and business partners. Spady’s annual auction carries a green message by auctioning recycled crafts and other items, selling home-made green cleaners, and salsa from their school gardens.
Timber Trace Elementary School
Timber Trace has expanded their green school projects in many areas. For example, they are working with Jupiter
Environmental Academy students to expand their butterfly garden this year. Teachers have assigned “Computer and Light Helpers” in each classroom to help conserve energy. Timber Trace’s recycling efforts have increased and they implemented an environmentally friendly fundraiser by selling Smencils made out of recycled newspapers. The Student Council and K-kids have taken an active role in promoting green practices school-wide by awarding weekly “Tidy Tiger” awards to the class with the cleanest Adopt-A -Spot on campus. Timber Trace has formed many community partnerships to help instill environmental stewardship in its students.
Unity School
This is the first year that Unity School is being recognized as a Palm Beach County Green School, but they have a long
history of teaching and modeling stewardship for the Earth. The faculty consciously teaches their students that each individual has the ability to choose actions that support a healthy sustainable environment. Unity’s flagship school-wide event is its Earth Day Celebration which has been held for over 25 years. Students have responsibility for numerous vegetable, herb and butterfly gardens using rain barrels for watering. Unity has made the commitment to convert old light fixtures to more energy efficient ones, to using only green cleaning products and converting their cafeteria to a paperless environment.
West Gate Elementary School
West Gate Elementary School has been working to raise awareness among their faculty, students and families in order to
have a more sustainable school and neighborhood. Several programs they have initiated are: school-wide recycling; energy monitors; green curriculum nights, neighborhood clean-ups and vegetable and butterfly gardens. Their Nature Buddies program for primary grades takes weekly nature walks and record their observations in journals. West Gate has also qualified for a program from the Florida Solar Energy Center to combine solar technology with curriculum to teach about renewable energy.
Green Schools of Promise
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts is the deserving recipient of one of our Judges Choice awards of $250.
Alexander W. Dreyfoos’s stated in their application that the Green Schools Initiative provided both a reason and an inspiration to encourage active environmental concern on their campus and the surrounding area. Working toward Green School recognition has been a student-driven and teacher supported effort with the Dreyfoos Environmental Club leading the charge.
Bak Middle School of the Arts
This year, Bak Middle School of the Arts have constructed a hydroponic garden, investigated their school’s energy consumption and
initiated an energy conservation campaign. They have been a leader in recycling and increased their efforts through a partnership with Terracycle; and produced a video tracing the plastic water bottle’s impact our environment using the Albatross to put a face on the problem.
Citrus Cove Elementary
Citrus Cove is most proud of their increased cooperative efforts in their many recycling programs; their partnership with volunteers to
educate their students in becoming good stewards of their environment; and their conscious steps to take learning outdoors. Citrus Cove as a small, but dedicated Green Team made up of staff and students who are the motivating force behind their green initiatives.
Forest Park Elementary
This year, Forest Park Elementary School offered a new Green Club that met once a week to discuss environmental issues and implement projects. Forest Park also recently installed a hydroponic garden and for Earth Day, students will begin to plan their garden. The PTA st Forest Park Elementary School has also partnered with the Green Team to create a “green edition” newsletter for parents.
Hillel Day School
The goal at Hillel Day School is to become a Green School of Excellence and they are on their way. Their green projects include
their Beach clean up Day, their school-wide book club theme this year of “respecting the Earth: and their carpool patrols who request that drivers turn off their cars in the pick-up line. Hillel Day School also initiated this year a compost project, an intensive focus on recycling and their “Open Closet” program which allows for materials from old school projects to be taken apart and reused.
Lighthouse Elementary
Lighthouse wants their green efforts to become second nature to their students. Their stated ultimate goal is to become a Green School of Excellence and this year they have made good progress toward that goal. Lighthouse, with strong administrative support has enhanced their school grounds with new trees, worked on a litter elimination and energy conservation campaign. Additionally Lighthouse is in the process of rehabilitating their outdoor classroom; and they participated in a school-wide student contest to create projects that would make Lighthouse a “greener” school. The top three student ideas per grade level will be sent to compete in Scholastic’s Greenest School in America contest.
Marsh Pointe Elementary
Marsh Pointe Elementary has made great strides in greening their school and campus including numerous recycling projects, a new Earth Protectors Club for students and a Green Team for faculty. They have created a butterfly garden and broken ground on a new vegetable garden. Working with their PTO, they have planned activities throughout the month of April to celebrate Earth Day, including “Earth Friendly Shirt” Fridays.
Park Vista Community High School
Park Vista Community High School is the deserving recipient of one of our Judges Choice awards of $250.
Park Vista’s green initiatives have been led by their Green Team which was created by two student leaders. The Green Team has worked effectively with other school clubs to initiate many of their green projects, such as the senior class council and the Student Government. For example, the student co-presidents of the Green Team successfully advocated to the senior class council the importance of creating an outdoor learning area as the seniors’ gift to Park Vista. The Green Team also held the first annual Park Vista Green Week to raise school-wide environmental consciousness.
Poinciana Elementary
Poinciana is always committed to building their students’ environmental awareness, this year Poinciana made a concerted
effort to make greener living a way of life at their school. In addition to a student focus on recycling, a large-scale campaign was begun to compost all appropriate cafeteria waste. Additionally, students are activity involved in the planning of new native plant landscapes for their school grounds
