CE Update from Green Team!

Wow! Our Student Green Team has been up to a lot this year. Photos below.

Our Gardens are looking amazing. Last year we finished the Native Plant Garden (aka Science Garden), and this year there are enough plant growth that we were able to transplant several species into a new area. This new spot is the Alley Way Garden and is located between the 2/3 wing and the library.

Green Team (lead by Ms. Parkin, Ms. Bohl, and Mrs. Clifford) also worked on reducing our waste. We added compost bins to the lunchroom and taught students how to sort their items. Students also wrote letters to the district asking for our black plastic trash bags to be switched out for bio bags. Students included a cost analysis as well as research on why the switch would be beneficial. The Green Team is hoping some of the changes we have made at CE can be replicated at the other schools.

Carnation Elementary earned two awards from King County Green Schools this year: "Schoolyard Stewardship" and "Organics Collections"!

The team also submitted the national EcoSchools application today and hopes to hear back on our status before school is out. EcoSchools is an award we began last year and quickly climbed to the highest level in one school year with all we already do! This year we hope to maintain that level with our ongoing efforts and new projects.

Speaking of new projects, below is an image of a project the 4th grade Green Team focused on this year. Students helped design and plan out a space with garden beds to grow food and use to study plants across grade levels. The raised beds will be placed around the Outdoor Classrooms that the 2-3rd grade Team is working on. Mrs. Clifford and Geitzke are leads on these two projects and are working with Shaun and others from RSD office.

TLDR

• Yay

  • growing and healthy gardens!

  • pollination garden!

  • bat house!

  • no spray signs!

  • wild frogs, birds, and bugs!

  • log seats (donation)!

  • KC Green School awards (local)!

• In process.... (fingers crossed)

  • outdoor classrooms

    • waiting on approval from city for adding rooves to the area

    • received 8 large handmade wood tables donation

    • REF Grant in the works, need approval finalized first

  • raised food garden beds

    • waiting on RSD final approval

  • Mini green houses

    • students nearly complete

  • Alley Way garden

    • approved, some plants, invasives pulled

  • EcoSchool Award (national)