As we gear up for a new school year, it's the perfect time to reflect on the amazing community spirit that happened within our Green Teams last year.
In alignment with our commitment to sustainability, District 64 has taken meaningful steps to minimize waste and support local communities. In preparation for upcoming construction, the District partnered with SCARCE—a nonprofit dedicated to creating sustainable communities—to deliver old textbooks and supplies for reuse or recycling.
At Emerson Middle School, teacher Ms. Tenner went a step further by coordinating with local science educators to ensure specialized materials found new homes where they were most needed.
Green Teams at Field, Franklin, Washington, Carpenter, Emerson, and Lincoln took the lead in organizing Green Locker and Desk Cleanouts. Students, staff, and parents worked together to sort and clean gently used school supplies. Items not kept by the schools were donated to Mannheim Middle School, where more than 66% of students face economic hardship.
Additionally, parent volunteer Erin Stopa collected all used crayons for the Crayon Initiative, a program that recycles crayons into new ones for children in hospitals.
Together, these efforts kept countless materials out of landfills and put them into the hands of those who need them most.
Also, thank you to Katie Shamis of VK Gardens, who has helped put gardens throughout the District. She is now the D64 Green Team Sustainability Coordinator and will continue to help with these efforts.
Great job to all who helped this last year! We can't wait to see what's in store for 2025-26!