
Ellis
Elementary
School
is
a
school
focused
on
sustainability,
and
as
part
of
Earth
Week
initiatives,
students
were
selected
by
their
classroom
teachers
to
form
an
eco-team.
The
students
were
led
by
Heather
Meek,
instructional
technology
coach
and
sustainability
coordinator,
to
plant
vegetables
with
Jeanne
Jabara,
energy
education
coordinator,
for
the
PWCS
Energy
Management
and
Sustainability
Team
(EMAST).
Jabara
talked
to
students
about
composting
and
how
to
reduce
food
waste,
planting
vegetables,
and
the
importance
of
taking
care
of
the
earth.
Students
cleared
raised
flower
beds,
planted
seeds,
and
took
measurements
of
existing
plants
and
watered
them.
As
sustainability
coordinator,
Meek
helps
Ellis
Elementary
participate
in
the
EMAST
School
Energy
Challenge.
Schools
that
participate
in
the
challenge
focus
on
promoting
pathways
to
sustainability
to
earn
points
towards
a
rebate
from
EMAST.
One
way
Ellis
has
promoted
sustainability
at
their
school
is
by
signing
up
with
the
National
Wildlife
Federation
(NWF)
and
devising
an
energy
action
plan
for
the
school.
Ellis
planned
a
waste
audit
to
analyze
their
trash
at
school
and
see
where
they
could
increase
their
efforts
to
reduce
trash
and
recycle.
To
conduct
the
waste
audit,
custodial
staff
held
some
of
the
trash
that
could
be
sorted
that
was
generated
in
a
school
day.
Unsortable
trash
that
needed
to
be
disposed
of
was
weighed
before
being
taken
to
the
dumpster.
Students
set
up
tarps
in
the
gymnasium
and
sorted
the
trash
into
different
piles
of
what
could
have
been
recycled,
such
as
paper,
cardboard,
and
plastic.
The
NWF
awarded
Ellis
the
bronze
award
for
their
efforts
to
reduce
their
waste.
Currently,
Ellis
has
plans
to
conduct
an
energy
audit
by
the
end
of
the
school
year
in
order
to
obtain
the
NWF's
silver
award.
Jabara
will
provide
a
checklist
and
visit
the
school
to
help
students
conduct
the
energy
audit.
Meek
shared
that
students
will
focus
on
answering
questions
such
as,
"How
many
rooms
do
we
walk
into
that
are
not
being
used
but
the
light
switch
is
on?
What
kind
of
energy
do
we
use
here
at
Ellis?
How
can
we
use
energy
more
efficiently?"
Students
will
help
brainstorm
ideas
of
ways
to
improve
energy
consumption.
Meek
will
then
submit
their
action
plan
to
the
NWF
for
consideration
for
the
silver
award.
In
addition
to
their
current
sustainability
initiatives,
Ellis
was
also
selected
by
Jabara
to
start
a
composting
project
in
the
2021-22
school
year