NC Green Schools Program Director Katie Cavert Ferrell presented the award for NC Green School of Excellence to Carolina Day School during a special ceremony Monday in front of students, faculty, and staff. Head of School Kirk Duncan accepted the award on behalf of the school and the sustainability committee. The award for outstanding leadership was presented to Marbie Kollath, CDS faculty member and chair of the sustainability committee.
The NC Green Schools Recognition program recognizes North Carolina
Pre-K/12 public and private schools that encourage cultures of sustainability
in five designated areas: culture and community, school sustainability, healthy
schools, curriculum integration, and innovation. The NC Green School of
Excellence designation is the top level of recognition awarded to schools
showing the highest level of commitment to a sustainable campus and environment
education curriculum. Eight schools were recognized for their efforts in 2015,
but only Carolina Day School and two others were given the NC Green Schools of
Excellence award.
“The faculty at
Carolina Day School is open to environmental stewardship through activities
like free play in nature during recess, educating with hands on experiences,
and responsible resource management via recycling,” said NC Green Schools
Program Director Katie Cavert Ferrell. “What I observed in the school's
application is a commitment to sustainability far greater than I had imagined.
We are very proud to recognize Carolina Day as a NC Green School of
Excellence."
Carolina Day is committed to working together to implement
sustainable practices. Seven years ago, Carolina Day created a sustainability
committee to represent all four divisions, parents, and administration. This
committee meets each trimester and works on green goals for the whole school.
In 2009, Carolina Day
made it a priority in its school improvement plan to focus on environment and
sustainability. The school has made tremendous progress in this area, as shown
by creating the sustainability committee, providing professional development
for faculty, serving with local environmental groups, and committing to daily
recycling and composting.
Carolina Day shows its
commitment to making the school a healthier place by building and utilizing
outdoor classrooms. Each division has created gardens and a natural area with
river stone was built for the new Lower School.
Each division includes nutrition and health in the curriculum and encourages
students and faculty to join the 100 Mile Club to track walking and hiking.
Environmental issues
are discussed in many venues, not just in science classes, though students can
go more deeply in the sciences. Students work on solar and hydroponic gardens.
They make solar ovens and help sea turtles in Costa Rica make it back to the
ocean. They plant vegetables from seed and nurture the plants until they bear
fruit. This past year, they created a phenology lab and a salamander study area
on campus. Annually, Pre-K students watch monarch butterflies grow from
caterpillars to adult butterflies, and recreate their migration to Mexico by
“flying” around campus collecting nectar.
Carolina Day also uses
innovation in capital projects and campus improvements. Instead of constructing
a new Lower
School from scratch, the original 1956 building is being
“up-cycled.” With innovative ideas to save energy and improve air quality,
construction on the new building is underway and will be completed in June 2016.
"Thanks to the
dedication of our sustainability committee, and input from all areas of CDS, we
were able to document the wonderful things we are doing to try to be a greener
place and educate everyone in ways to appreciate our natural world, and take
care of it,” said Marbie Kollath, CDS faculty and chair of the sustainability
committee. “We hope to further this work in the future."
Under the guidance of our mission and core beliefs, Carolina Day
School purposefully promotes environmental sustainability through our daily
actions and long-range planning.
Carolina Day School defines environmental sustainability as
meeting our needs today in a manner that does not limit the ability of future
generations to meet their needs. Everyone deserves access to ample natural
resources and healthy ecosystems.
We
challenge the hearts and minds of our students as we expose them to complex
issues of environmental sustainability. They are taught the skills to
comprehend these issues and are given guidance in clarifying their position
amidst often opposing viewpoints.
We
hope to inspire our students to seek innovative solutions and to show personal
responsibility as they witness the creative and courageous actions we take at
Carolina Day School.
For more
information about Carolina Day School, its Pre-kindergarten through twelve
independent day school program, call 828-274-0757 or visit carolinaday.org.
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