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Success Story: North Bend Elementary School
School District: Snoqualmie Valley
School Location: Snoqualmie
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2008
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2009
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2010
General
- North Bend Elementary has a number of student teams working throughout the school on environmental projects from gardening to litter pick up to recycling education. Principal Jim Frazier strongly supports conservation projects.
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- North Bend Elementary increased its recycling rate from 30 percent to 45 percent, and maintained that rate for two years.
- The Green Schools team at North Bend worked hard to teach students about recycling, including how to recycle milk cartons. Students educated their peers about why recycling is important.
- Recycling containers provided by the Green Schools Program were added to the lunchroom for milk cartons, juice boxes, plastic bottles and aluminum cans and to classrooms for mixed recycling.
- School staff placed recycling stickers on classroom and lunchroom recycling containers. Provided by the Green Schools Program, the stickers list what can and cannot be recycled.
- The school implemented a Waste Free Wednesday campaign to encourage students to bring durable and recyclable lunches from home. Students created skits and presented them in each classroom to share ideas for going “waste free” and to encourage participation. Involved parents are also a key to North Bend Elementary’s successes in waste reduction and recycling. Parents write articles for the parent newsletter and often serve as monitors in the lunchroom.
Energy Conservation
- North Bend Elementary conducted a school-wide challenge for students to pledge to reduce the amount of energy they use.
- Green Team leaders posted end of day checklists to help classrooms conserve energy.
- The school reduced energy use and met the Level Two Green Schools Program energy conservation criteria.
- Stickers were placed near light switches to remind students and staff to turn off lights when they aren’t in use.
Environmental Education
- In 2009-2010, the adult Green Team began work to ensure that grade level curricula matches state environmental education standards. This process will continue into the next school year.
- In 2009-2010 a student group called the “Groovin Green Team” was formed, led by teacher Meredith von Trapp. Twelve students from third, fourth and fifth grade classes worked together to create an Earth Day display for the front of the school called “Every Day is Earth Day…50 Ways to Reduce Your Ecological Footprint.”
- The Groovin Green Team students also presented the school community with fifty creative, inspiring ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink.
- Several fourth and fifth grade students participated in Nature Vision's Blue Team program in 2009-2010 by building a native plant nature trail, including a butterfly garden, behind the school’s portables.
- All fifth grade classes participated in a walking field trip to investigate the ecological health of the Snoqualmie River through water chemistry and identification of macro-invertebrates.
- Fifth grade students will input their results into a global database that promotes water conservation activities in schools around the world.
- Many North Bend Elementary teachers are including environmental education into their curricula. Specifically, teachers are finding connections to environmental stewardship in their “Structures of Life” unit that focuses on systems and the interconnectedness of all things.
- Students conducted experiments outside by digging compost holes and analyzing the decomposition rates of materials. This activity helped students to see how their choices affect the environment.
- The Groovin Green Team Club uses afternoon recess to conduct litter pick-ups and educate others about keeping the planet clean and healthy.
Awards
- North Bend Elementary School received a King County Earth Hero at School award in April 2009.
Comments
“King County Green Schools Program has given us the structure and focus to achieve our conservation goals. We’ve felt a great deal of support over the last two years and through this collaboration with King County we truly feel like we are making a difference!”
– Meredith von Trapp, teacher
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Meredith Von Trapp, teacher
vontrappm@svsd410.or
Jim Frazier, principal
frazierj@svsd410.org
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