KSU the Only ‘Green Ribbon School’ in Ga for 2020

Award Honors Schools, Districts, and Postsecondary Institutions for Reducing Environmental Impact and Costs, Improving Health and Wellness, Offering Effective Sustainability Education

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced the 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees, who have been selected for special recognition based on their commitment to healthy, safe, and sustainable learning environments.

In Georgia, Kennesaw State University was the only institution to make the list for 2020.

Across the country, 39 schools, 11 districts, and five postsecondary institutions are being honored for their innovative efforts to address the three “Pillars” of the program: reducing environmental impact and utility costs, improving health and wellness, and ensuring effective sustainability education. A state education official, Elizabeth Schmitz, Environmental and Sustainability Education Program Supervisor at the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, is also being recognized for her efforts to advance school sustainability.

“I want to congratulate this year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School honorees for a job well done,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “During this unprecedented time, it’s a pleasure to celebrate these bright spots of creativity and to applaud the teachers and local education leaders who have worked to create healthy, sustainable, and innovative learning environments for their students.”

The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 27 states. The selectees include 28 public schools – among them, three magnet schools and four charter schools – as well as 11 nonpublic schools. Forty-five percent of the 2020 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body.

The list of all selected schools, districts, colleges and universities, as well as their nomination packages, can be found here. A report with highlights on the 55 honorees can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Resources for all schools to move toward the three Pillars can be found here.

Following is the list of 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Award, and Postsecondary Sustainability Award honorees.

Alabama

• Magnolia Nature School at Camp McDowell, Nauvoo, AL

California

• Creston Elementary School, Creston, CA
• Edison Elementary School, Alameda, CA
• Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School, La Crescenta, CA
• Woodside Priory School, Portola Valley, CA
• Carmel Unified School District, Carmel, CA

Colorado

• Aspen Prep Academy, Greenwood Village, CO

Connecticut

• Middlebrook Middle School, Wilton, CT

Delaware

• Odyssey Charter School, Wilmington, DE
• Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, DE

Florida

• Highland Elementary School, Lake Worth, FL
• Martin County School District, Stuart, FL

Georgia

• Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Hawaii

• SEEQS: The School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability, Honolulu, HI

Illinois

• Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth, IL
• College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL

Indiana

• Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation, Fishers, IN

Kentucky

• Redwood Cooperative School, Lexington, KY
• Fayette County Public Schools, Lexington, KY

Maine

• Mount Desert Island High School, Bar Harbor, ME
• Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, ME

Maryland

• Oakland Terrace Elementary School, Silver Spring, MD
• Wellwood International School, Baltimore, MD

Minnesota

• School of Engineering and Arts, Golden Valley, MN

Missouri

• Sunrise School, DeSoto, MO
• Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, St. Louis, MO
• Parkway School District, Chesterfield, MO

Nebraska

• Mickle Middle School, Lincoln, NE
• Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Omaha, NE
• Bayard Public Schools, Bayard, NE

Nevada

• Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV

New Jersey

• Cape May City Elementary School, Cape May, NJ
• Readington Middle School, Whitehouse Station, NJ

New Mexico

• Coyote Willow Family School, Albuquerque, NM

North Carolina

• Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Fuquay-Varina, NC
• Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh, NC
• Walker-Spivey Elementary School, Fayetteville, NC

Pennsylvania

• Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary School, Spring House, PA

Rhode Island

• The Grace School at Meeting Street, Providence, RI

South Carolina

• Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, McClellanville, SC
• Furman University, Greenville, SC

Utah

• Bonneville Elementary School, Salt Lake City, UT
• Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, UT

Virginia

• Ocean View Elementary School, Norfolk, VA
• Rappahannock County Public Schools, Washington, VA

Washington

• Carl Sandburg Elementary/Discovery Community School, Kirkland, WA
• Montessori Children’s House, Redmond, WA
• Pullman Public Schools, Pullman, WA
• Seattle Public Schools, Seattle, WA
• Wahluke Public Schools, Mattawa, WA
• (Director’s Award) Elizabeth Schmitz, Environmental and Sustainability Program Director, OSPI

Wisconsin

• Lincoln Avenue School, Milwaukee, WI
• McDill Elementary School, Stevens Point, WI
• Indian Community School, Milwaukee, WI
• School District of Bayfield, Bayfield, WI
• University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, Whitewater, WI