SUSTAIN DCSD
Celebrate together
Let’s Celebrate Earth Month Together!
This April, we’re turning up the green vibes with “Celebrate Together”, because caring for our planet is more fun when we do it as a team! From students crushing energy challenges in the Renew Our Schools competition to the amazing Green Team at Rock Ridge and the expanding composting efforts at Roxborough, our DCSD community is making a real impact! Get ready for inspiring stories, well-earned shout-outs, and easy ways YOU can join the movement at school, at home, and beyond. Share your story with us by emailing a summary of what your school did for Earth Month. Because it's not just my Earth, it’s OUR Earth, and together, we can take care of it!
Castle Rock Elementary
Castle Rock Elementary is truly rocking sustainability! From tower gardens to composting systems, there’s something for every learner to dig into. This year, 3rd and 5th graders have taken a deep dive into vermicomposting, backyard composting, and commercial composting—exploring how food waste, when treated as a valuable natural resource, can come full circle to nourish their very own school garden.
And the learning doesn’t stop there! Students are also exploring butterfly life cycles, ecosystems, food chains/webs, and the vital role butterflies play in pollination. These hands-on experiences cultivate not only knowledge but a lasting appreciation for the Earth and the power of stewardship.
The impact? It's BIG. So far this year, Castle Rock Elementary has recycled nearly 6,000 pounds of materials and composted over 1,100 pounds of organic waste. This is an incredible achievement for their first year!
To celebrate their learning, students worked together to create a special compost word cloud, with each student contributing a word they connected with from DCSD Sustainability’s presentations. Check it out below, proof that their words and actions matter!
Roxborough Intermediate
Mrs. Flander's 6th-grade class has taken on the important responsibility of leading the school's composting efforts and teaching their peers about its value and impact. At the start of the year, students created and presented informative lessons on the importance of composting and how it should be implemented in our school. They then visited classrooms across grade levels to share their knowledge and inspire others to participate.
To ensure the success of this initiative, students developed a monitoring schedule, taking turns overseeing the compost bins and preventing contamination. Through this process, they have gained valuable life lessons in responsibility, consistency, and perseverance, learning firsthand how challenging—but rewarding—it can be to encourage lasting change.
Fifth grader Nate Stahl has taken his passion for a greener school even further. He independently researched composting, wrote a DonorsChoose grant to secure grabbers and a focus on composting books for every grade level, and even interviewed Mrs. Church to gather expert insights. Nate is now using this information to create news segments for the school broadcast, further educating the student body about composting’s impact. In just three years, Roxborough has transformed an incredible 7,138 pounds of waste into nutrient-rich compost, turning what was once trash into a powerful resource for the planet! Way to go, Rox Stars! Together, your commitment to sustainability is making a real difference. Keep it up!
The Town Of Castle Rock and DCCD Volunteer Opportunities
- 4/19 Earth Day --Team B
- 4/19 Earth Day --Team A
- 4/24 Arbor Day -- Tree planting at Metzler Ranch Park
- 4/24 - 4/26 DCCD Plant Sale
- 4/25 Arbor Day -- Tree planting at Metzler Ranch Park
- 4/27 Mitchell Gulch Park Clean up
- 4/28 Arbor Day --Tree Planting at Rhyolite Regional Park
The Energy Showdown is ON!
This has been one of the fiercest energy competitions yet! Sedalia and Lone Tree have been neck and neck each week, battling it out for the top spot. But wait… Roxborough is making power moves by logging all their actions and just might surge ahead! Cherokee Trail students have found some interesting switch gaurds that control most of the common areas of the school.
And let’s not forget Larkspur—these energy champs are on a roll, competing for the second time this school year!
What a showdown! DCSD students are bringing the energy (literally!) for our very first Elementary Energy Challenge!
Who will "power" through to victory? Stay tuned to find out!
Each year, we celebrate the amazing individuals and groups who go above and beyond to protect and care for our environment. Know a student, teacher, support staff member, Green Team member, partner organization, or adult supporter making a difference? Nominate them as an Eco Champion. Your nomination helps us recognize those who are helping make our planet a better place! Nominations are due by May 1st.