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Boardman Glenwood Junior High recognized with environmental education award

By Mahoning Matters staff
From left are Boardman Glenwood Junior High School science teachers Andrea Kratzer, Eric Diefenderfer, Scott Lenhart, Laura Frost and Ian Head. (Contributed photo)
From left are Boardman Glenwood Junior High School science teachers Andrea Kratzer, Eric Diefenderfer, Scott Lenhart, Laura Frost and Ian Head. (Contributed photo)

BOARDMAN — Boardman Glenwood Junior High School was recognized by the Ohio EPA for its commitment to environmental education.

The Ohio EPA's Encouraging Environmental Excellence in Education program recognizes K-12 schools for achievements in environmental stewardship and education efforts for students on environmental topics. The program has three recognition levels: Root, Branch and Leaf, which are based on how many of the "three R" environmental principles (reduce, reuse and recycle) the school is incorporating into its curriculum or school activities.

Boardman Glenwood Junior High School was awarded Branch level.

In the past five years, the school has built a natural habitat garden in the school courtyard; applied for the Ohio Environmental Education Fund grant, which brought an industrial composter to the school; and came up with ways of reducing cafeteria waste that includes composting, recycling and basic awareness.

"Through grants, we were able to replace every water fountain in our building with water bottle refilling stations," science teacher Scott Lenhart said in a news release. "In this way, we have cut down dramatically on plastic water bottle use. The students bring their refillable bottles from home and are very aware of the part they play in a cleaner environment."

Principal Bart Smith said the EPA's environmental award is a great accomplishment.

"Our science teachers and [Helping Our Planet Earth] Club advisors go above and beyond, not only to prepare our students for academic success but also to give them the tools to live in a sustainable environment during their adult years," Smith said. "The kids participate every day in very real ways. They recognize what is good for our environment, and they see how each change we've made in our own building is helping."

This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Boardman Glenwood Junior High recognized with environmental education award."