On Earth Day U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. announced that five NAIS schools had been selected as Green Ribbon Award recipients for 2015-16, a recognition that they are among the most environmentally sustainable schools in country.  This year’s NAIS Green Ribbon Schools include:

• Bishop O’Dowd High School, Oakland, CA
• The King School, Stamford, CT
• Wilmington Montessori School, Wilmington, DE
• Paideia School, Atlanta, GA
• St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Middle School, Alexandria, VA

The Three Pillars of Green Ribbon Schools focus on reduced environmental impact and costs, improved health and wellness, and effective environmental education.  As Andrea Suarez Falken, Director of the Green Ribbon Schools program observed: “We are pleased to see that the award has prompted instructors, parents, students, and administrators nationwide to acknowledge the critical need for students to learn in a manner – and a place -- that will sustain both them and the planet.”

Overall, 27 states plus the District of Columbia submitted applications, and a total of 73 organizations--47 schools, 15 districts, and 11 postsecondary institution--were recognized.  Six private schools were named, and five were NAIS members.  This year’s schools included 18 elementary, 18 middle and 14 high schools.  Since the Green Ribbon Schools program was launched in 2012, 309 schools have been recognized in first five years, including 277 public schools and 42 private schools.

The fact that 33 NAIS schools have been recognized, or 11% of the overall total, is a clear indicator of the leadership our member schools are demonstrating in developing more sustainable schools.  A full list of NAIS recipient schools can be found at invernessassociates.org.  I serve as the head of the selection committee for the California green private schools, and would be please to answer questions about the Green Ribbon Program.  Feel free to contact me (pchapman5@gmail.com), Andrea Falken at the U.S. Department of Education (www2.ed.gov/green-ribbon-schools), or your state office of education.

***************************

Green Ribbon Private School Winnners, 2012 to the Present

Green Ribbon Schools   2015-16

 Six Private Schools (6/47 private, 5/6 NAIS)

• Bishop O’Dowd High School, CA
• The King School, CT
• Wilmington Montessori School, DE
• Paideia School, GA
• St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Middle School, VA

Green Ribbon Schools   2014-15

Six Private Schools (6/58 private, 6/6 NAIS)

• Marin Country Day School, CA
• Greens Farms Academy, CT
• City of Lakes Waldorf School, MN
• Princeton Day School, NJ
• Old Trail School, OH
• The Steward School, VA

Green Ribbon Schools   2013-14

Ten Private Schools (9/48 private, 5/9 NAIS)

• San Domenico School, San Anselmo, CA
• Greenwich Academy, Greenwich, CT
• High Meadows School, Roswell, GA
• St. Thomas Aquinas School, Indianapolis, IN*
• Kellman Brown Academy, Voorhees, NJ*
• Metro Catholic School, Cleveland, OH*
• Jesuit High School, Portland, OR*
• Bertchi School, Seattle, WA
• Conserve School, Land O Lakes, WI

Green Ribbon Schools   2012-13

Ten Private Schools (10/78 private, 7/10 NAIS)

• Prospect Sierra School, El Cerrito, CA
• St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, DE
• St. Paul Lutheran School, Lakeland, FL*
• Berkshire School, Sheffield, MA
• Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
• Rye Country Day School, Rye, NY
• Westtown School, West Chester, PA
• The Compass School, Kingston, RI*
• The Evergreen School, Shoreline, WA
• Racine Montessori School, Racine, WI*

Green Ribbon Schools   2011-12

Eleven Private Schools (11/78 Private, 10/11 NAIS)

• The Athenian School,
Danville, California
• Sidwell Friends Middle School,
Washington, DC
• Savannah Country Day School,
Savannah, Georgia
• Hawaii Preparatory Academy,
Kamuela, Hawaii
• The College School, St. Louis, Missouri
• Crossroads College Preparatory School,
St. Louis, Missouri
• The Willow School, Gladstone, New Jersey
• American Hebrew Academy,
Greensboro, North Carolina
• Catlin Gable School,
Portland, Oregon
• Springside Chestnut Hill Academy,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• The Overlake School,
Redmond, Washington

* Non-NAIS Schools