National Green Ribbon Awarded To Lakewood School

LAKEWOOD, OH - Lakewood Catholic Academy was named a National Green Ribbon School on Thursday. Awarded by the US Department of Education, the designation recognizes schools that have adopted a comprehensive approach to sustainability and green practices.

For the 12-year-old school, the award is validation of their environmental stewardship practices. Brian Sinchak, president of Lakewood Catholic, says the school has always been focused on maintaining the beautiful landscape that surrounds the school.

"We’re a young organization, but ever since our creation, because we’re in such a beautiful area, we’ve always been aware of the responsibility," Sinchak told Patch.

The school's environmental practices include converting the entire campus to LED lighting and upgrading to a high-efficiency boiler. Lakewood Catholic also has several programs to engage its nearly 500 students in environmental stewardship.

Students take part in waste-free lunches and help run the academy's recycling program. Sinchak said students have reduced Lakewood Catholic's trash creation by 20 percent through recycling programs.

Thanks to a partnership with the Cleveland Metroparks, the school is also a way station for monarch butterflies. Students built the way station and surrounded it with native plants that serve as the monarch's food sources.

"We’re certainly proud of the national recognition and we’re even more proud of our teachers and our students," Sinchak told Patch. "They’re passionate about caring for God’s creation. It’s central to our mission as a Catholic school. We’re engaged in a number of environmental practices at the school."

The Green Ribbons were awarded to 45 schools, nine districts, and nine postsecondary institutions across the nation.

“Healthy and engaged students come to school each day ready to learn more,” said Paolo DeMaria, superintendent of public instruction, in a statement. “Lakewood Catholic Academy should be proud of its efforts to conserve our planet’s resources. Not only has the school reduced its ecological footprint, it has done it in a way that gets students excited to learn more and become healthier.”

You can learn more about Lakewood Catholic in the video below.

Photo from YouTube Screenshot