Austin ISD Elementary School Awarded Eco-Schools
USA Green Flag for Exceptional Achievement in Educating for Sustainability
Honor indicates commitment to sustainable management of school grounds, facilities and curriculum
Brooke Elementary School was recognized by National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program for exceptional achievement in educating for sustainability, improving the environmental footprint of the school grounds, facility and curriculum. The prestigious Green Flag is the Eco-Schools highest honor.
The Brooke Elementary School located at 3100 E. 4th Street will celebrate on Earth Day with a raising of the “Green Flag” ceremony.
The school will host an assembly celebrating the school’s 65-year history followed by a special performance. The ceremony is at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 22 on the campus. Special dignitaries from the community will be present and will help the students and teachers raise the bestowed Green Flag. A tour of the grounds will be provided by students in the Brooke Green Team.
The school has been working on this top award for more than six years and school leadership has created many activities and programs for students to learn about the environment and economy.
Brooke has expanding butterfly gardens, ponds that help birds and pollinators have water resource as well as wildlife in the area. The school also maintains chickens, rabbits and will be adding goats to help teach life cycles and ties these activities to Science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
“We have learning gardens for each grade level, aquaponics gardens and community gardens that help our Garden to Cafe program,” said Principal Griselda Galindo-Vargas. “Our campus theme is sustainability. We hold farmer market events and sell our harvest of flowers, vegetables, plants and honey as well as organic eggs. We moved the school from a STEM school to a STEAM school and now an ESTEAM School (Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Math).”
Every day the students are learning to care for the environment and be stewards of the earth; the schools culture is to reduce our carbon footprint to help future generations. Students learn social justice and environmental science through Brooke’s green curriculum.
Learn more about Eco-Schools USA, http://www.nwf.org/eco-schools-usa . The National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest conservation organization, uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world.