St. Albans City School Stewardship Projects
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Picture
Picture

HOW WE CAME TO BE DESIGNATED A GREEN RIBBON SCHOOL

We Reduced Our Environmental Impact and Costs
Renovation Project - Replaced and insulated the roof, changed to efficient Lighting, shifted to a new and efficient Heating and Air Conditioning system, made our doors more energy efficient, added a vestibule to our front entrance to reduce heat loss, added heat saving window shades throughout the entire school building
Water Cooled Refrigeration Project - With student involvement we eliminated water use for cooling purposes and now save over 1 million gallons of water/year.  We also added timed faucets and automated toilets throughout the building.
Facility Evaluation from 2008-2009. The evaluation led to a range of energy use improvements, among them a change out of our hot water heating system that made a massive improvement in efficient energy use

Bussing - we analyzed our busing needs and routes to minimize bus use.
Carpooling - 
we added carpool parking spaces to encourage more efficient travel

Partnered with the City - to improve sidewalks and road crossings making it safer for kids to walk/bike to school

We Took Steps to Improve Health and Wellness
​VEHI - We achieved 98% involvement from staff in the staff wellness program
Athletic Program expanded to 5-8 (17 teams up from 10)
Expanded our athletic fields and added new backstops, benches
Replaced playground with a safer set of equipment, added a paved outdoor basketball court
Increased after school programming and athletic activities
Added a 4:30 PM after school programming bus home to encourage athletics and after school participation .

Walking field trips and lunch walks encouraged
Added 17 walk and bicycle to school days yearly to demonstrate the viability of that transportation option
School-Generated Exercise Videos that can be done in class.
Added Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Snack Program
Promoted whole grains before federal requirements
Added filtered water filling stations and provided water bottles to everyone at school
We have no vending machines
Green Chemicals are used for cleaning
Established and equipped an on-site fitness room
Each year the school offers a 22 mile 6th-Grade rail trail bicycle trip
4-6th grade students learn to ski on yearly field trips to Jay Peak​

We Offer(ed) Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education
Water Cooled Refrigeration Project (student driven)
Composting Projects (student and staff driven)
We have reduced landfill waste, for example by becoming a straw-free school
We participate in green-up days
We participated in the Efficiency Vermont - Whole School Energy Challenge and still follow efficiency practices
We engaged in various paper reducing projects. Since all students have easy access to computers the need for paper in our classrooms has been reduced

Unique and Innovative Practices

We have made student stewardship a priority in every learning community
We engage students in projects that are authentic and that strive to make a difference in their world (school)
School-wide focus on Project-Based-Learning
Lunch is a celebration - we make it fun by adding competitions and talent shows
We provide universal (free) breakfasts, lunches and snacks to minimize issue of hunger in our school

Partnerships

The Abbey Food Service
Composting at Hudaks -via the NW Solid Waste District
Efficiency Vermont
Department of Health
Local Farms and Department of Agriculture (Farm to School Programming)

Additional Points of Interest

Students helped us conduct radon testing (we learned we have no radon problem)
Our school water systems were tested for lead (all clear)

We conducted an Envision Program Audit 
Analysis showed that we have an Energy Star Rating that places us in the 89th percentile among similar public schools
We organized a coordinated school health team which evaluated our health policies and actions
We established a Facility Operating Plan

Link to the cover letter our school used to apply for the Green Ribbon School Award

Link to the article the school used to celebrate St. Albans City School's Green Ribbon Award

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  • Home
    • Student Leaders
    • Property Map
  • Gardens, pollinators, chickens
    • Farm to School >
      • Message from FTS Coordinator
    • School Gardens >
      • School Gardens Phase 1
      • School Gardens Phase 2
    • Market Garden
    • Community Garden
    • Blueberries
    • Orchard
    • Maple Sugaring
    • Outdoor Classroom
    • Butterfly Garden
    • Pollinator Gardens
    • Pollinator Bees
    • Rain Gardens
    • Chickens
    • Christmas Trees
    • Tree & Bench
    • Urban Forest
    • Worm Bin
  • Food Education
    • FCS Kitchen
    • Field Trips
    • Cooking Cart
    • Fruit & Veg. Snacks
    • Taste Tests >
      • Recipes
  • Environment
    • Building Efficiency
    • Composting
    • Climate Change Podcast
    • Walking Biking Busing >
      • Walking Wednesdays
      • Bicycling
      • Busing
    • Wetlands
  • Community
    • Operation Happiness
    • Veterans Day
    • City Lighting
  • The School Stories
    • 50th Anniversary Video
    • 2018-19 Sch. Brochure
    • Green Ribbon School >
      • Cover Letter
      • Celebration
    • Cutting Edge Designs >
      • Our Products
    • HOPE Hands-On Ed. >
      • Cider Making
      • Maple Syrup
    • Messenger Articles >
      • Articles in 2020
      • Articles in 2019
      • Articles in 2018 >
        • Oct-Dec 2018 >
          • Fruits and Veggies
        • Jul-Sep 2018 >
          • SACS-Related Articles
          • Conscious Discipline
        • Apr-Jun 2018 >
          • Tricycles
          • Stewardship Day
          • Tech Conference
          • College Students
          • Commentator
          • Walking Contests
          • School Sign
          • 3D Printing
          • Science & Poetry
          • Dealing with Trash
        • Jan-Mar 2018 >
          • BFA Drama for SACS
          • Jr. Iron Chef Contest
          • Leadership
          • Basketball
          • Faculty Fun Night
          • Pinball Machines
          • Bobwhite Basketball
          • Snowshoes
          • Book Buddies
          • Skiing at Jay Peak
          • Peace Poster
          • Obstacle Course
      • Articles in 2017 >
        • Oct-Dec 2017 >
          • Maker Space
          • Walking to Wonder
          • Pirates Play
          • Day of Code
          • School Mall
          • Veterans Day
          • Wetland Wonders
          • Marketing
          • Local Experts
          • Financial Literacy
          • Cider Making
          • Farm to School
          • Pre-K Cottage
          • Maker Faire
        • Jul-Sep 2017 >
          • Butterflies
          • Market Garden
          • Way to Go
          • Tech Staff Departure
          • A Difference
          • New Year
          • Leadership
          • Humanities Camp
          • Holka Polka
          • Mindfulness
          • Local Ecosystems
    • Proj.-Based Learning
    • RiseVT Wellness >
      • Obesity Statistics
    • Walking Path >
      • Healthy People Grant
      • Dairy Council Grant
    • Chal. and Failures
    • Fields and Equipment
  • Contact