RALEIGH — The U.S. Department of Education named three schools in North Carolina as Green Ribbon Schools based on efforts to reduce environmental impact, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.
Wake County’s Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary and Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary schools are recipients as is Walker-Spivey Elementary School located in Fayetteville in Cumberland County.
The Green Ribbon Schools Award program is described as the “first comprehensive federal policy for schools related to environment, health and education.”
In a press release, State Superintendent Mark Johnson said the three schools are giving students “lifelong lessons in conservation and efficiency of resources and health and wellness.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 39 schools, 11 districts and five post-secondary institutions across the country 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.
“I want to congratulate this year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School honorees for a job well done,” U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in the award announcement.
“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,” said DeVos.
National award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., tentatively set for Aug. 4. Additional information on the Green Ribbon Schools Award program is available on the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
