Gabby Crooks, a Green Iowa AmeriCorps Sustainable Schools Member working with the Cedar Falls Community School District. Gabby nominated Holmes Junior High School for their school-wide composting project, in partnership with Rite Environmental, which kicked off in the fall of 2020. This award recognizes specific environmental education movements in traditional schools that are collaborative, cross-disciplinary, supported by teachers, staff, students, and parents, and benefit the community and student involvement.
Despite the many challenges associated with food waste reduction in a worldwide Pandemic, the leaders at Holmes Junior High have still assisted students in diverting over 2,000 lbs of food waste from the landfill. They've done this through encouragement, education, and most importantly, demonstration. Many thanks to Gabby & Mary for their dedication and consistency during every lunch period to provide the support needed for students; our Site Supervisor & Associate Principal, Eric Rosburg, for his leadership for our AmeriCorps Members and Holmes Students; as well as Maya & Dr. Ravi Mallavarapu for being the catalyst to get this initiative started at Holmes Junior High!
More about the IAN-ICEC Awards:
"The IAN-ICEC Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education recognize the incredible contributions of environmental educators, partners, and supporters to the advancement of environmental literacy in Iowa.
The IAN-ICEC Environmental Education Excellence Awards are named in honor of those who made important contributions to the understanding of the wealth of Iowa’s natural and cultural resources. Many had childhood opportunities to learn about and enjoy the natural world in the company of a parent or mentor. All are examples of intelligent stewards of the land worth emulating."