Environmental Education

Knowledge is the Key
for Change

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EE Week

Environmental education connects us to the world around us and raises awareness of issues impacting the environment. Through EE, we can learn what actions we can take to improve and sustain our environment.

Each year, we hold an EE week that consists of special presentations, activities, and community service projects. Students experience an immersion program in environmental education with presentations that range from animal habitats to watershed studies and local fauna.

Children in blue shirts outdoors holding leaves and a jar, while an adult shows them plant samples on a sunny day.
Child working on a worksheet about habitats with natural materials like twigs and leaves on paper plates, indicating a biology activity.
A young girl with long blonde hair, green eyes, and a yellow sleeveless top holding a bunch of yellow flowers and a butterfly on her wrist, sitting on green grass.

Benefits of Environmental Education

  • Hands-on, interactive projects heighten imagination and enthusiasm for learning in all subjects

  • Connections beyond the classroom - students are able to apply their learning in the real world

  • As students research and investigate environmental issues, they are enhancing their critical and creative thinking skills

  • Promotes understanding and tolerance of different cultures and points of view by understanding all sides to an issue

  • Outdoor learning centers or bringing nature inside integrates state and national core learning standards through interdisciplinary learning

  • Exposing children to the outdoors fosters appreciation and respect for nature and the environment

  • Encourages healthy lifestyles by promoting good nutrition, activity and exercise, and spending time in nature

  • Promotes a sense of place and connection as students reach out to their community for ways to help

  • Teaches responsibility - students realize how their decisions affect the environment and they understand the steps to reduce their impact

  • Promotes student leadership - students are empowered with the knowledge to share their voice and make a difference

Green Council

Our Green Council is a group of dedicated teachers and students who serve as the ambassadors of our environment at the school, working to bring awareness about the importance of caring for our planet. Through various initiatives and educational programs, they actively teach our students and staff about sustainable practices, waste reduction, and the preservation of natural resources. By organizing tree planting events, recycling drives, and eco-friendly campaigns, the Green Council helps to build a sense of environmental consciousness and responsibility among our school community. Their efforts inspire everyone to play an active role in protecting and nurturing our planet for future generations.

Three women smiling outdoors, wearing black T-shirts with Earth and stars graphic and the text "I'm With Her," on a sunny day with mountains and houses in the background.
Children planting a tree outdoors, some watering it, on an overcast day with a white fence and trees in the background.
A group of children gathered in a classroom, with one boy standing at the front reading from a paper, and others observing and discussing a line of clothing and material waste items laid out on the floor.
Children sitting in a circle around a campfire inside a wooden shelter, engaging in a storytelling activity, some raising hands, others holding papers or notebooks.

Hands to Work

For just about 10 minutes at the end of each day, all students participate in Hands to Work. This cleaning tradition is a school community service time, in which students focus on one area of the school to improve it. At the end of each day, our students take some time to clean their classrooms, common areas, and outdoors.

Helping to tidy their learning spaces promotes the students’ understanding of life skills and gives them a sense of personal responsibility. The kids like to take care of their areas, and this relaxed time gives them the opportunity to work together and engage with one another.

A group of children and an adult outdoors on a grassy area, raising their hands wearing plastic gloves, with a children’s autism awareness sign in the background.