Lemont Schools Go Green Thanks to State Grant

Three schools in Lemont-Bromberek School District 113A will be "greener" this year after receiving grants  to buy materials and implement programs that will reduce their impact on the environment.

The Illinois Zero Waste Schools Grant Program awarded more than $10,000 to Old Quarry Middle School, River Valley and Central School for the 2010-11 school year. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) provided the grants to each school based on a formula that takes into account the number of students in each school.   

Funding for each school was:

• $5,110.28 for Old Quarry
• $3,554.56 for River Valley
• $2237.00 for Central

Oakwood School applied for the grant, but did not receive one. With limited funding available, DCEO denied some schools within the same district if they felt the application did not as closely match the program's objectives as those submitted by other schools.

"My guess is that age groups may have been a factor, based on the kinds of activities you'd be able to do with students given what's appropriate for their age," said Dr. Mary Gricus, assistant superintendent for the district.

Given the district's strained financial situation, Gricus says that the grant gave the three winning schools the resources to improve in an area that has always been important to the district.

"We've always been interested in reducing and recycling," she said. "This was an opportunity to purchase equipment and resources without taxing the school district budget."

Old Quarry goes green--and high-tech

Old Quarry Middle School, which received the largest grant, was able to purchase some high-tech equipment to support its environmental initiatives. The school's funding went toward the purchase of three ELMO visual presenters. These devices allow teachers to project information on a screen directly from their computers, without requiring the visuals to be printed first.

To further cut paper use, the school also purchased an electronic responder set. The 30-unit system allows students to respond to a teacher's oral questions by pressing a button to record their answers.

"It's a great way to do formative assessments to see if students are understanding concepts," said Dr. Bill Caron, Old Quarry's principal.

A small amount of grant money was also used to purchase can crushers to support the school's recycling program, which has been in place for several years. Though they will now have to keep track of just how much they are recycling, Caron said the students are enthusiastic participants.

"They're old pros at recycling," he said. "It needs to be a part of our culture that we protect our natural resources."

River Valley slashes paper use

River Valley's approximately $3,500 grant is allowing the school to recycle white paper, plastics and cans. However, the biggest focus is on reducing its use of paper.

"We're looking at every way possible to teach our students to be good citizens and good stewards of the earth," said Principal Debra Lynch.

River Valley has also purchased one responder system to be shared among the classrooms. With the responders, teachers can administer a quiz, test or classroom activity without the use of paper, and record the results electronically. Each student has also been given a dry-erase board to use for in-class exercises.

To further decrease reliance on paper-based classroom work, teachers at the school are now required to use a code for making copies. Prior to the code system, teachers could send a copy order directly from their computers, which was convenient but sometimes led to waste, according to Lynch. Teachers are also asked to use both sides of the paper when making copies and to use the school's netbooks when possible to conserve paper and copying resources.

"We spend about $10,000 to $12,000 a year on paper," Lynch said. "In this environment, we need to save in every area we can."

The River Valley Parent PTO's Go Green committee is also helping the school be more environmentally conscious. One of their initiatives is the launch of a test classroom that uses new, eco-friendly ways of doing things.

"There is a lot of money to be saved by making more environmentally friendly choices," said committee chairperson Laura Henze. "And I think it's better for our kids."

At least three times this year, River Valley will also host a zero-waste lunch day.

"We're going to measure the waste before the no-waste lunch day and then the waste on that day and make a comparison," Lynch explained.

[Read "Saving Green with 'Greener' Lunches" for tips on packing a zero-waste lunch.]

Central School boosts recycling efforts

Central School used its grant money for dry-erase white boards, recycling receptacles and can crushers. Though cans aren't required to be crushed for recycling, Principal Gina Rodewald said they help keep the students involved in the process and allows the school to fit everything in the new receptacles, which are emptied monthly. In addition, some students are responsible for gathering and weighing the recycling to keep track of the school's progress.

"We've gotten a great response, especially about the white boards," Rodewald said. "Teachers especially like that it's a quick response to see if students are grasping concepts that are presented."

Every week, Central students are also encouraged to reduce the amount of waste generated at lunch time. On Waste-Free Wednesday, all students are encouraged to bring a lunch packed in reusable containers. Fifth-graders also help monitor the cafeteria at lunch time, making sure anything recyclable goes into the new plastic and aluminum recycling receptacles.

"We're really trying to get them to be conscious of how we use our natural resources," Rodewald said.

Looking to the future

Each of the principals expressed interest in going further with their environmental programs in the coming years, if resources allow. The recycling of additional materials, composting and curriculum-related gardening are all ideas that have been considered.

Whether the district decides to reapply for the grant next year will depend on personnel resources, according to Gricus.
"The difference in the number of custodial staff [we have now] made this grant difficult to implement," she said. "So we had to look for ways for students to be involved as part of their classroom work."