2023 Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools Challenge Winners

The San Mateo County Office of Education announced the 22 standout leaders who received 2022-23 Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools (SCRS) Challenge awards for their efforts to create sustainable school communities during the 2022-23 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 11 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

East Palo Alto Academy

Food Systems and Green Buildings & Grounds, Community

An East Palo Alto Academy biology class took part in a project where they researched and cultivated native plants to beautify the school campus, making it more resistant to drought through water conservation. The class also launched a community garden to increase access to fresh vegetables in the face of the housing and cost-of-living crisis. Students grew poppies, lavender, and blue-eyed grass and added informational signs to educate other students about their project. In the community garden, students planted radishes, mustard plants, broccoli, carrots, and lettuce to feed families in the school community.

Read more about this project.

Green Hills Elementary School

Food Systems and Zero Waste & Consumption; Campus and Community

Green Hills Elementary School Principal Kerry Dees recruited a group of 5th grade students to support waste efforts at Green Hills Elementary School. Students created poster boards and presented them to classrooms, explaining the proper ways to dispose of classroom and lunch waste materials. Presentations in cooperation with South San Francisco Scavenger, the local waste hauler, were held schoolwide. These efforts were also recognized and presented by students at a Millbrae School District Board Meeting. As a result of these efforts, the school community has seen a rise in proper composting, recycling and landfill sorting, resulting in less landfill waste.

Read more about this project.

Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate School

Food Systems and Land-Based Systems; Curriculum

Through the Agricultural Science elective, Cunha Intermediate School teacher Sonia Myers has helped create the Little Cunha Farm. Students can investigate what farming looks like and the role local farmers play in producing sustainable foods, all the while combating climate change. Students draw relationships between human populations, food production, and soil health. Students and staff have raised six chickens, tended to garden beds, acquired a commercial-sized hydroponic growing system, and had pathways built around the 15,000 square foot farm, making it accessible for all students. The Little Cunha Farm has opened up to other classes including Special Education, where students have used the space to relax and play with the chickens, and one of the ELD classes, who used the eggs from chickens to make breakfast sandwiches. 

Read more about this project.

Pescadero High School (La Honda-Pescadero School District)

Green Buildings & Grounds, Land-Based Ecosystems, Marine Ecosystems & Shoreline, and Sustainable Watersheds, Campus and Curriculum

The Pescadero High School Environmental Science Program (ESP) students have had the opportunity to partake in a series of projects on their campus and beyond; these projects include providing Pescadero Elementary students with hands-on workshops, maintaining compost infrastructure with assistance from the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability, trail-work, media production, and building and sustaining a native plant nursery that provides plants to restore dunes at Pescadero State Beach.

Read more about this project.

San Carlos School District

Food Systems and Zero Waste & Consumption, Curriculum and Community

The San Carlos School District (SCSD) has been prioritizing sustainability within their district’s school culture for years. Seven of the SCSD’s eight schools have a Green Team with many overlapping goals. The Green Teams worked with Rethink Waste to ensure that each of the sites received education on proper waste sorting practices. Green Teams have worked in classrooms and provided school-wide assemblies to ensure that all students on campus have access to this resource and education. Several of the schools receive garden support and education through Each Green Corner, and the culturally-relevant food grown at these gardens is donated to Second Harvest, a local food pantry. One school site is focusing on planting native plants around campus. Lastly, one of the middle school Green Teams helped develop a month-long advisory curriculum for middle school peers about sustainability, environmental justice, and how to take action. 

Read more about this project.

Standout Leaders