CRSD named US Department of Education Green Ribbon District

Good morning

 I have some exciting news to share.  Yesterdayafternoon, the United States Department of Education along with the White HouseCouncil on Environmental Quality announced that Council Rock School District isone of nine (9) school districts in the country to be named 2014 U.S.Department of Education Green Ribbon School District.

In the early part of the 2013-14 school year, a teamled by Renee Devlin, the Council Rock Science Coordinator, and Doug Taylor,Council Rock’s Supervisor of Operations, began to build the Green SchoolApplication.  With the help of many on our staff, we submitted ourapplication in late November of 2013.  In Council Rock, our dilemma wasnot finding initiatives and programs but, instead, filtering the many greatprograms we offer into the application’s word limits.   Suzanne Wray,Executive Director of the Council Rock Education Foundation, was instrumentalin the final submission of our application.  Many of the programs wehighlighted in the application were sponsored, in whole or in part, throughgrants from the Council Rock Education Foundation.

In January, we were informed by the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education that Council Rock would be nominated as thePennsylvania Green Ribbon School District.  Nominations submitted bystates were part of the pool of schools and school districts considered for thenational award. 

The Green Ribbon SchoolAward honors schools for their work in three main areas: 1 – Reducedenvironmental impact and energy efficiency, 2 – Positive impact on the healthand performance of students and staff, 3 – Effective environmental andsustainability education. Council Rock has exemplary programs in each of thesethree areas.   From trout hatching in classrooms at MMW, toelectronic recycling at CR South, to organic gardening at Newtown El, to energyefficiency across all of our schools, our application was a showcase for themany effective environmental and sustainability programs that have grown in ourschools and our school community over the past six years. 

The Green Ribbon SchoolDistrict Award is a reflection on all of us – students, schools, and ourcommunity.  We are proud to share this award with the entire Council Rockcommunity. 

Mark J. Klein
Superintendent of Schools