Green Ribbon Award to AB Schools
On April 22, 2013, the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District was awarded the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award (ED-GRS).
The ED-GRS award honors schools that are exemplary in reducing
environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of
students and staff; and providing effective environmental and
sustainability education, which incorporates STEM, civic skills and
green career pathways.
ABRSD is one of only fourteen school
districts in the US to receive this "first-ever" honor. This is the
first year that school districts are being recognized through this
prestigious US Department of Education (DOE) awards program, begun in
2012. Please view the ABRSD application. Read the press from Boston.com: First-ever national sustainability award to A-B Schools.
The
recognition award is part of a larger U.S. Department of Education (ED)
effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices that are
proven to result in improved student engagement, higher academic
achievement and graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as
a government wide goal of increasing energy independence and economic
security.
International Green Flag Award to ABRHS
In
2012, ABRHS was awarded the international Green Flag award, the 4th
school in the US to receive this honor. The Green Flag framework has
been adopted in 50 countries around the world with 50,000 schools
participating at various levels, and has recently been adopted in the US
with the National Wildlife Federation serving as the
Eco-Schools USA host.
Three student teams (Resource Force/Power Down, Recycling Club and
Envirothon) cooperated to complete the rigorous requirements for earning
the award, including audits and major projects in energy, solid waste
and water. Read about our Green Flag projects:
In
addition, the Power Down Project at ABRHS received a national award
from the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) and the
Secretary's Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education
from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental
Affairs. Press coverage included the Boston Globe, several national posts on National Wildlife Federation (NWF) blogs and the Acton Beacon.
Power Down Receives National & State Awards
The
National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) recognized the
Power Down Project with the 2012 National Senior Level "Rookie of the
Year" title and flew 10 students and chaperones to Washington, DC to
receive the award. Read their story in the NEED Annual Report.
In addition, the Power Down Project at ABRHS received the 2012
Secretary's Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education
from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.