3 schools in Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville named US Green Ribbon Schools

Across the country, 35 schools, 14 districts, four colleges and one state education official were honored.

Here are highlights about the three North Carolina schools, summarized from a report from the U.S. Department of Education about the honorees:

“These three schools are showing students how to be good stewards of the environment, how to be good citizens and to understand the importance of health and fitness,” North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson said in a statement. “They’re good role models for other schools to follow.”

Including the winners announced Wednesday, eight North Carolina public schools and two school districts have received the award, first given in 2012 to honor schools that “exercise a comprehensive approach to creating ‘green’ environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health, and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with the 21st century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy.”

National award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in September. The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 28 states. The selectees include 25 public schools – among them, three magnet schools and two charter schools – as well as 10 nonpublic schools. Thirty-six percent of the 2019 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body.

Following is the list of 2019 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Award, and Postsecondary Sustainability Award honorees by state: