SUSTAIN DCSD

Welcome to the November Sustain DCSD Newsletter! This month, we’re giving a huge shout-out to our amazing students, staff, and community partners who are going above and beyond to make sustainability happen. From school gardens and chickens to recycling programs, hands-on science labs, and creative sustainability projects, we are so grateful for everyone making a difference and showing that small actions can have a big impact. Let’s celebrate and give thanks for the incredible work happening across our district!

Thank you to our partners below for spreading kindness and filling hearts (and pantries)! You can be a hero too by bringing food or goods to your local food bank.

Speaking of giving back, DCSD’s newest Grow to Give garden is complete! Congratulations to Bear Canyon Elementary for finishing their beautiful new outdoor learning area, “Ollie’s Patch.”

This project bloomed through collaboration and community support. HR Water provided a rebate for the grass removal and installation of native plants, helping make the transformation both sustainable and water-wise. Thanks to another great partnership between Home Depot HR and The Backpack Society, what was once an irrigated grass area is now a vibrant, hands-on learning space where students can grow, give, and learn together.

Look at that recycling line, WOW! Lone Tree Elementary has this down to a science. Students move through the line like pros: first discarding their straws, then emptying their milk, recycling their cartons, placing any unopened items in the share bucket, tossing trash in the proper bin, and finally composting any leftover food from their trays.

Staff from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) recently visited as a follow-up to our FRWRD grant to see the students’ waste diversion in action. Boy, they were impressed! At the end of lunch, student volunteers check the compost to ensure there’s no contamination. These students know what they’re doing; it's like a well-oiled machine!

Lone Tree’s efforts are paying off; their diversion rate has reached 60% this year, and they’ve reduced their trash service by 18 yards each week! We’re so proud of Lone Tree and all 18 of our schools that have committed to making sure that "FOOD SHOULD NEVER BE TRASH"!

Students in Sedalia Elementary’s weekly cooking club, led by Speech-Language Pathologist Caty Draper, recently enjoyed a true farm-to-table experience, teaming up with School Resource Officer Biagio Burriesci and his wife to make homemade pasta sauce using fresh produce straight from the school garden. The activity blended hands-on learning, friendship, and fresh ingredients as students practiced communication and life skills while celebrating the harvest together.

We’re grateful for partners like Caty and Deputy Biagio who help our students grow connection, confidence, and joy through meaningful, hands-on experiences.

Over the past week, students at Castle Rock Middle School had the chance to dig into the world of owls—literally! Thanks to a mini-grant written by librarian Yvonne Miller, CRMS students had the opportunity to dissect owl pellets as part of the One Book One District (OBOD) experience featuring To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell.

Science teacher Alison Gordon turned the activity into a full lab experience, allowing students to explore like real scientists. Armed with gloves, masks, and toothpicks, students carefully examined the pellets—identifying bones, sorting remains, and recording their findings. This hands-on lesson not only supported science learning but also strengthened students’ observation skills and deepened their connection to the natural world.

A big thank you to Yvonne for securing the grant from DCSD Sustainability and to Alison for bringing this engaging lab to life in the classroom!

Do you ever think recycling is hard? The students in DCSD’s Bridge Program at Park Meadows are proving that with creativity and determination, anything is possible!

Because their building doesn’t have space for its own outdoor recycling bins, the students took matters into their own hands. Each week, they collect single-stream recyclables from their building and transport them to another DCSD location to ensure proper recycling.

Not stopping there, these forward-thinking students are developing a plan to partner with nearby businesses, sharing existing bins to reduce the need for transporting recyclables. They are also preparing to teach others how to recycle correctly. Soon, they will even begin collecting hard-to-recycle items through programs like Ridwell and TerraCycle.

We want to extend a huge thank you to these incredible Bridge students for going above and beyond to make a difference. Their dedication, teamwork, and leadership are inspiring. They are truly taking recycling to the next level!

The DCSD Sustainability Department would like to give a huge thank you to the students from Brittany Johanson's AP Environmental Science class at VALE for their incredible sustainability presentation! These students developed and shared thoughtful, practical ideas on how DCSD can reduce energy use and become a more sustainable district. Each student identified real challenges and offered solutions in key areas, including:

• Waste Reduction

• Water Conservation

• Electricity Reduction

• Transportation Improvements (Carpooling Initiatives)

Their presentations showcased not only strong research and creativity but also a deep understanding of the impact each of us has on our planet.

Since sharing their ideas, VALE students have already begun putting them into action—turning off lights when not in use, improving composting and recycling efforts, and paying closer attention to water use. Their leadership is inspiring meaningful change across their school community!

We’re also thrilled to welcome a Sustainability Intern from VALE, who will assist the district with waste diversion projects and help advance our environmental goals.

Thank you again to the VALE students and staff for your passion, dedication, and partnership in making DCSD a more sustainable place to learn and grow!

Thunder Ridge High School’s chicken program is thriving under the guidance of Jenni Dameron, in partnership with Stephanie Mills from the science department. Their feathered friends are fluffy, active, and play an important role in sustainability learning on campus.

Closing the Loop with Compost

The team is composting chicken waste to help enrich the school's soil. Because the waste is high in nitrogen and ammonia, it will be safely stored for 6 to 12 months before being used in the garden.

Powered by the Sun

The chicken coop is fully powered by solar energy, including motion-sensor lights and an automatic door. This reduces energy use and models sustainability in action.

Reducing Food Waste

Leftover food from culinary classes is fed to the chickens, diverting it from landfills and providing the hens with nutritious scraps.

We are so thankful for programs like these that demonstrate how hands-on learning and care for living systems can inspire students to think sustainably in all areas of life.

Bringing To See an Owl to Life!

This November, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our friends at the Douglas Learning Materials Center (DLMC). In addition to thoughtfully managing our growing collection of sustainability learning materials, DLMC leads the annual One Book One District (OBOD) initiative, an experience that connects our schools through the power of shared storytelling.

This year’s book, To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell, inspired students to take their learning beyond the page and into the real world. With support from DCSD Sustainability mini-grants, classrooms came alive with hands-on learning. Students dissected owl pellets, explored food webs, and met real raptors up close through visits from Denver Audubon, Nature’s Educators, and HawkQuest.

These interactive experiences sparked curiosity, deepened understanding, and reminded students that learning, and sustainability, can truly take flight!

Sustainability Resource Kits

Looking to bring more hands-on sustainability learning into your classroom? The Office of Sustainability has curated a growing collection of engaging resources available through the DLMC!

Each year, new materials are added to support classroom implementation, including Weather Stations, CO₂ Air Quality Readers, Kill-A-Watt Meters, Worm Factories, and more.

Tip: Go to Resource Lists and look under Science Kits or Sustainability Kits.

The EPA is now accepting applications for the 2025 President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) and Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). These national honors recognize students and teachers who are leading the way in environmental stewardship and innovation, and we'd love to see DCSD represented! Have you or any of your student completed a project that might be eligible for this prestigous award?

Projects can focus on food waste, recycling, school gardens, water quality, creative tech solutions, and more.

We’re also excited to share that a STEM School HR student, Siddhi Singh, received last years PEYA Award and will be reccongnized by the BOE next week. Congratulations Siddhi! To learn more about her project click here.

Ready to make an impact like Siddhi? Learn more and apply:

• PEYA (Students): EPA’s PEYA page

• PIAEE (Educators): EPA’s PIAEE page

Questions? Contact Wendy Dew, EPA Region 8 Outreach & Education Coordinator: dew.wendy@epa.gov.

Applications are due Monday, December 1, 2025.

We’re excited to share that we are proposing to host Green U at Cherokee Ranch and Castle for the 2025–2026 school year.

Please review the dates below and let us know which one would work best for you. Your input will help us secure the venue and finalize details for another great year of sustainability learning and collaboration.

If you haven’t heard of Green U, it’s our PD time to connect, collaborate, and get inspired. We share ideas, explore local resources, and find new ways to weave sustainability into learning. Hard to believe this will be our 9th annual conference!

Thank you, Jane Goodall, for reminding us that every individual, whether human or animal, matters, and that each of us has the power to make a difference. Your work continues to light the path toward a more sustainable and compassionate world.