The Green Schools Quest is an annual project-based challenge to PreK-12 schools to implement creative, effective and low-cost sustainable practices at their schools with the help of a Green Mentor.
68 school and mentor teams participated during the 2019-20 school year, and 44 of these schools submitted materials detailing their work to be reviewed by a panel of impartial judges.
While we were not able to join together for our annual culminating event, we’re excited to celebrate participants and projects virtually! New highlights and insights are being posted each day during the week of May 18.
Announcing the 2020-21 Focus of the Year: Health & Wellness
The actions of individuals, organizations, and communities affect not only the planet, but also human health. Green Schools can be powerful promoters of health and well-being. Improving health and wellness addresses physical, emotional, and social issues students and their communities may be facing.
In this video, we’ll introduce you to the 2020-21 focus of Health & Wellness along with project ideas and resources.
Hear from School Leads on Why They Engage
Each school is required to have one adult leader from within their school to sponsor their team – this could be a teacher, administrator, or parent.
School Leads facilitate student engagement, collaborate with the mentor and determine how to best plug him/her into the project, integrate the project into school curriculum and culture, and lead the behind the scenes coordination that supports the project’s success.
In this video, a handful of School Leads share why they feel participating in the Green Schools Quest is valuable for their schools and students . . .
Mentors Share Their Experience
Mentors play an important role in the Green Schools Quest, each contributing guidance and resources that address the unique needs of their school team and project.
In this video, you’ll hear directly from mentors on how they plugged into their schools’ projects and why they feel the mentorship role is such an important piece of the Green Schools Quest.
Student Interviews
In this video, students reflect upon their experience engaging in a Green Schools Quest project this year.
– What did you learn?
– What did you enjoy about your project?
– Who helped you?
– What are you going to do now?
Project Focus & Collective Impact
This video highlights the diverse range of projects that took place and their collective impact. Included are clips from digital presentations the school / mentor teams prepared.
2019-20 Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019-20 Green Schools Quest! View this video to learn more about each of their projects.
Elementary School Category
1st Place:
A Green Wave of Change,
Crestwood Elementary (Lindbergh)
2nd Place:
Transportation Pollution Solution,
St. Margaret of Scotland
3rd Place:
Brown School Waste Warriors,
Brown Elementary (Hazelwood)
Middle School Category
1st Place:
RMS Earthletes Make Long-Lasting Change,
Rogers Middle School (Affton)
2nd Place:
Making a Difference in Our School,
The St. Michael School of Clayton
3rd Place:
Cafeteria Waste Reduction,
Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School
High School Category
1st Place:
Impact Challenge,
Principia Upper School
2nd Place:
‘Not I, but We’ Environmental Justice,
St. Joseph’s Academy
3rd Place:
Reintroducing Recycling: Students Reduce Cafeteria Waste,
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Spotlight Awards
Rookie of the Year:
KIPP Victory Garden,
KIPP Victory Academy
Sustainability Champion:
Bye, Bye Bags,
W.W. Keysor Elementary (Kirkwood)
Focus of the Year – Environmental Justice:
SLPS Can’t Afford Styrofoam Anymore,
Bryan Hill Elementary & Columbia Elementary (St. Louis Public School District)
Judges’ Choice:
Green Team,
Truman Elementary (Meramec Valley R-III)
Innovation:
Going Beyond,
Sunrise R-IX Elementary
2019-20 Participants & Projects
Kudos to all of the participating schools and mentors. Each and every one has taken significant action towards creating greener, healthier learning environments and positively impacted their communities!
Help us celebrate the accomplishments of participants the week of May 18. Stay tuned for more information and insight to be release each day, including a summary document highlighting all submissions received and digital messages that will be shared at 10am daily:
- Project Focuses & Collective Impact – May 18
- Student Interviews About Their Work – May 19
- Mentors Share Their GSQ Experiences – May 20
- Hear from School Leads on Why They Engage – May 21
- Announcing the 2020-21 Focus of the Year – May 22