One Haverhill school and four North Andover schools this week were honored for students’ outstanding environmental actions as members of the “Green Team,” a statewide environmental education program.
Recycling Show prizes were awarded to Marigold Montessori School, Haverhill, and teacher Linda Malbon, preschool; Atkinson Elementary School, North Andover, teacher Susan Baylies, grades 1-5; Kittredge Elementary School, North Andover, teacher Cheryl Means, grades 4-5; North Andover Middle School, teacher Jorge Goncalves, grades 6-8; and Pvt. Albert E. Thomson Elementary School, North Andover, teacher Christopher Raymond, grades 1-5.
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides noted, “When schools closed in March, these students continued to work on environmental activities at home, including recycling, composting, gardening and creating outreach materials to share with their classmates, setting a tremendous example for both their peers and the entire Commonwealth.”
Students of any age may participate in the Green Team program, sponsored by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Department of Environmental Protection. It’s an initiative composed of students that share the goals of reducing pollution and protecting the environment. More than 111,000 students in 391 classes at 341 schools joined the Green Team this school year, a record level of participation for the program.
Students took part in a range of activities, including expanding school recycling programs, collecting textiles for donation and recycling, starting a compost pile using organic waste from the school cafeteria and using the compost it generates to nourish a garden to grow vegetables, making their school driveways “Idle-Free Zones,” increasing energy efficiency in their schools and communities and reducing their carbon footprints at school and at home.