Three Oxford elementary schools have achieved the highest environmental designation in Michigan and one of them is among the top three schools in Oakland County.
Clear Lake, Daniel Axford and Lakeville elementaries all earned Evergreen status under the Michigan Green Schools Program, a statewide initiative launched in 2006 and open to all K-12 schools, public and private.
‘I think it’s a great source of pride for our students,? said Daniel Axford Principal Joyce Brasington.
‘It says that the students are more aware,? said Tina Young, adviser to Lakeville’s Earth Club, which consists of grades 3-5. ‘They’re working with the rest of the classes and the other teachers, and it’s trickling down. All the kids are excited about it.?
Out of the 171 Oakland County schools that earned Green School status this year, Clear Lake had one of the top three applications in the county.
‘What stuck out with Clear Lake was the many different groups involved,? said Debby Dunn, a representative from Oakland Schools. ‘They had a lot of involvement from families and specific teachers. It wasn’t just a green club doing everything. That’s what was really well-liked (about the application). It was all-around involvement from the community, businesses, families. That’s what I think gave them an edge over everyone else.?
Clear Lake Principal Sue Hannant and the school’s Green Team coordinators, Renee Felix and Kierstin Boothe, have been invited to attend a May 13 Green Summit being held by the county.
‘This is the third year in a row that we’ve received the Green School award,? Felix said. ‘Being at the top with the Evergreen award is definitely exciting and it shows that there’s a commitment by our kids.?
Clear Lake’s Green Team consists of K-5 students. ‘Our club actually has doubled (in size) in the past two years,? Felix said. ‘We average about 30-40 kids each month at our meetings.?
‘And there’s a huge support system with our families. You can see it through our recycling efforts,? Felix noted. ‘All the parents donated money each month towards our plastics recycling program, which was new this year.?
Green Team members have done everything from send letters to the Oxford McDonald’s asking the fast food eatery to offer recycling receptacles to meeting with a representative from Waste Management to discuss what happens to the garbage and recyclables people leave at the curb for pickup every week.
Designed to teach students ecological responsibility by making them stewards of natural resources, Michigan Green School did status is achieved by successful participation in at least 10 out of 20 specific pro-environmental activities.
Activities include recycling, adopting endangered animals, instituting energy-saving programs, establishing gardens with native plants and observing Earth Day.
Schools that participate in 15 activities earn Emerald status, while those that do all 20 earn Evergreen status.
It definitely takes a significant commitment on the students? part as Brasington can attest to.
‘They’re involved every day with our recycling effort,? she said. ‘They recycle their milk cartons. They recycle in the classrooms. They remind the adults to turn off lights when we leave a room.?
But it’s not just things that affect the school.
‘We adopted a Panda bear at the Detroit Zoo and raised money to help support it,? Brasington said. ‘Our students are going to Seven Ponds Nature Center (in Dryden) to hear more about endangered species.?
Over at Lakeville Elementary, the school, led by the Earth Club, did a variety of things to earn the Evergreen status including building birdhouses, hosting a solar cookout (see page 12), adopting a barn owl and jaguar, and recycling just about everything one can think of.
?(The Earth Club) did all the work,? Young said. ‘They’re the ones trying to educate all the students, so that we can remain Evergreen.?