2022 Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools Challenge Winners

Published June 10, 2022

The San Mateo County Office of Education announced the 24 standout leaders who received 2021-22 Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools (SCRS) Challenge awards for their efforts to create sustainable school communities during the 2021-22 school year. 

The award, recognizes students, administrators, teachers, and community members who have organized projects that address one or more sustainability goals drawn from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and One Planet Living Framework. Each project also focuses on increasing the sustainability of campus facilities and operations sustainability, creating curriculum that addresses environmental topics, and/or building community environmental awareness.

Despite a challenging year, participants submitted a wide variety of projects such as district-wide efforts to institutionalize sustainability efforts, living schoolyards, zero waste initiatives, and environmental-based solutionary teaching and learning. These standout leaders are being recognized across ten (10) of the public school districts, in addition to private schools and community organizations, from across San Mateo County.

Five of these leaders received a financial award, funded by Peninsula Clean Energy, to support the next phase of their projects. Learn more about the submissions below.

Financial Award Winners

Oak Knoll Elementary (Menlo Park City School District) Green Team and Faculty

Climate Mitigation; Campus, Curriculum, Community and Culture

Alicia Payton-Miyazaki, Principal at Oak Knoll Elementary School (Menlo Park City School District), nominated her school community and the Green Team for their work on waste reduction and a positive ecological footprint. They have had many successes - for example, a group of third graders gathered over a hundred signatures on a petition against the amount of plastic in the lunch program, and the company who provides the lunch materials agreed to reduce plastic use for their school next year. The Green Team has additionally led climate rallies and led extensive education efforts on biodiversity, waste, and other topics.

Read more about this project.

Sequoia Union High School District Sustainability Committee

Ecological Footprint and Climate Mitigation; Campus, Curriculum, Community and Culture

The Sequoia Union High School District Sustainability Committee was formed to accomplish the goals set out in the Climate Emergency Declaration Resolution passed in May 2021 by the SUHSD Board of Trustees. The Committee provides an effective sustainability leadership model to carry out sustainability action to reduce the district’s ecological footprint. Students Sara Typrin, Katinka Lenneman, Brandon Wee, and Sophia Bai lead the committee, which includes Board of Trustees members, district directors, as well as site-level administrators, teachers, students, and county representatives engaging as members.

Read more about this project. 

Cabrillo Unified School District Sustainability Committee

Ecological Footprint and Climate Mitigation; Campus, Curriculum, Community and Culture

This past school year, Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD) built upon their district-wide efforts to promote environmental literacy and institutionalize sustainability equitably in all school sites. The efforts continue to be led by the District Sustainability Committee (which is led and coordinated by District Leadership and the Half Moon Bay High School Environmental Club), who have worked together to build momentum and develop goals and strategies to increase sustainable and climate action.

Read more about this project.

Sunset Ridge Elementary (Pacifica School District)

Ecological Footprint, Campus, Curriculum, Community and Culture

Several staff members at Sunset Ridge Elementary, in Pacifica School District, have been a key part of efforts over the last few years in shifting its culture and operations towards more sustainable practices. This past year, teachers furthered this work on campus through projects in zero waste, planting a native plant garden, and incorporating solutionary environmental education throughout 2-5th grade curriculums.

Read more about this project.

South San Francisco High School and Youth Climate Ambassadors

Ecological Footprint, Campus, Community and Culture

Zeenia Najmi, a student at South San Francisco High School (SSFHS), worked with Kyle You, a student at El Camino High School, to implement on-site composting for the SSFHS garden for their Youth Climate Ambassadors Community Impact Project. This project built upon past successful efforts by Youth Climate Ambassadors and the SSFHS Earth Club to bring ecological benefits and outdoor learning opportunities to the campus, which have resulted in a school garden, orchard, and new outdoor learning space that was opened in Spring 2022.

Read more about this project.

Standout Leaders