WASHINGTON — The Department of Education honored 63 schools nationwide Monday with a Green Ribbon Schools awards for reducing environmental impact, improving students’ health and providing environmental education.
“What we’re trying to do is shine a spotlight on these best practices, share them, build communities of practice,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “This is hard work that’s going on due to great creativity and ingenuity [without] a lot of additional resources.”
Duncan announced the awards at Mundo Verde, a bilingual school in Washington that was among the award winners. The list includes 54 public schools and 10 private schools that serve various grade levels, according to the department.
Duncan introduced the award in September 2011. State education agencies nominate and evaluate schools based on the three principles: environmental impact, environmental education and student health improvements.
Mundo Verde’s focus is on environmental issues and its curriculum is bilingual. All students learn to read, write and speak in Spanish and English. The school opened in August 2011 with programs for children between the ages of three and five. It will eventually serve students through the eighth grade.
“We’re the first school in the District of Columbia to focus on both [biliteracy and sustainability],” said Kristin Scotchmer, executive director of the school. “We believe that by preparing students both culturally, linguistically, and with a strong base in science in sustainability that they will grow up to be the kinds of stewards that our planet needs.”
Some of the curriculum includes students learning about plants, cooking with ingredients from the school’s garden and recycling and composting.
In addition to this year’s school winners, 14 school districts were announced for the first-ever District Sustainability Award.