Oakdale High School joins six other Frederick County public schools and nearly 700 statewide to be certified in the Maryland Green Schools program. Myersville Elementary also successfully recertified as a Maryland Green School.
The program, led by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE), encourages opportunities for schools that increase awareness and understanding of environmental relationships that impact public health and the local community.
To achieve Green School certification, schools must demonstrate continuous effort to integrate sustainable environmental practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development and community engagement in the culture of their studies.
“It was really a whole school effort, from recycling efforts, professional learning for staff, classroom activities and beginning to compost in our cafeteria,” Oakdale High principal Lisa Smith said. “I am proud of the persistence and dedication of our students, because they started this effort at the beginning of last school year. The pandemic may have slowed their progress but it did not deter them from achieving their goals.”
In Maryland, 672 schools are part of the program, representing 36 percent of all schools in the state. The other FCPS schools in the program are: Centerville Elementary, Urbana High, Wolfsville Elementary and Yellow Springs Elementary.
“Maryland Green Schools communities, including teachers, staff and students, work to create a healthy and sustainable environment for everyone,” MAEOE Executive Director Laura Johnson Collard said. “Students learn to care about the environment and make a positive impact.”