The U.S. Department of Education today 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.
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," says 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.
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
California
Creston Elementary School, Creston
Edison Elementary School, Alameda
Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School, La Crescenta
Woodside Priory School, Portola Valley
Carmel Unified School District, Carmel
Colorado
Aspen Prep Academy, Greenwood Village
Connecticut
Middlebrook Middle School, Wilton
Delaware
Odyssey Charter School, Wilmington
Ursuline Academy, Wilmington
Florida
Highland Elementary School, Lake Worth
Martin County School District, Stuart
Georgia
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw
Hawaii
SEEQS: The School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability, Honolulu
Illinois
Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth
College of Lake County, Grayslake
Indiana
Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation, Fishers
Kentucky
Redwood Cooperative School, Lexington
Fayette County Public Schools, Lexington
Maine
Mount Desert Island High School, Bar Harbor
Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport
Maryland
Oakland Terrace Elementary School, Silver Spring
Wellwood International School, Baltimore
Minnesota
School of Engineering and Arts, Golden Valley
Missouri
Sunrise School, DeSoto
Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, St. Louis
Parkway School District, Chesterfield
Nebraska
Mickle Middle School, Lincoln
Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Omaha
Bayard Public Schools, Bayard
Nevada
Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno
New Jersey
Cape May City Elementary School, Cape May
Readington Middle School, Whitehouse Station
New Mexico
Coyote Willow Family School, Albuquerque
North Carolina
Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Fuquay-Varina
Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh
Walker-Spivey Elementary School, Fayetteville
Pennsylvania
Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary School, Spring House
Rhode Island
The Grace School at Meeting Street, Providence
South Carolina
Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, McClellanville
Furman University, Greenville
Utah
Bonneville Elementary School, Salt Lake City
Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant
Virginia
Ocean View Elementary School, Norfolk
Rappahannock County Public Schools, Washington
Washington
Carl Sandburg Elementary/Discovery Community School, Kirkland
Montessori Children's House, Redmond
Pullman Public Schools, Pullman
Seattle Public Schools, Seattle
Wahluke Public Schools, Mattawa
(Director's Award) Elizabeth Schmitz, Environmental and Sustainability Program Director, OSPI
Wisconsin
Lincoln Avenue School, Milwaukee
McDill Elementary School, Stevens Point
Indian Community School, Milwaukee
School District of Bayfield, Bayfield
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, Whitewater