Bay County Building
515 Center Avenue
Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941

Recognizing Michigan Green Schools

Congratulations to the four Bay County schools that have continued their efforts to foster Environmental Stewardship, Energy Conservation and Sound Resource Use by once again qualifying as official Michigan Green Schools. The schools being recognized for 2014-15 are All Saints Catholic Elementary School, Auburn Area Catholic School, Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center, and John Glenn High School. All four schools submitted 20 or more points that meet the requirements to earn the highest recognition of Evergreen Level Michigan Green Schools. All Saints Elementary School submitted 30 points, Auburn Area Catholic School submitted 23 points, and Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center and Bangor Township's John Glenn High School each submitted 20 points that outline the "Green" efforts the schools are doing.

"Points" are earned for a wide range of activities. For example, at All Saints Elementary School not only do all the classrooms celebrate Earth Day but the school incorporates all aspects of building operations in energy conservation to reduce their carbon footprint by utilizing natural resources like ambient lighting along with other technologies like iPads to reduce paper use in the classroom. At Auburn Area Catholic School they have updated their lighting to use more efficient bulbs in addition to teaching the students about wise uses of power and other resources. At the Bay-Arenac Career Center they incorporate "green" technology and certification into many of the career pathways available at the school. For example in the Precision Machining class the students design and build a car that runs without Gasoline to help them understand energy use. John Glenn High School is developing partnerships with Saginaw Valley State University and Bay City State Recreation Area to increase their efforts to help improve water quality and awareness in our community. Both John Glenn High School and the Career Center have school gardens that help teach students and faculty about the importance of using locally grown produce and caring for our environment.

Governor Rick Snyder has provided Certificates of Recognition from the State of Michigan commending these schools for their continued efforts to be true Michigan Green Schools. The Bay County Board of Commissioners also recognized them at the April 14, 2015 Board of Commissioners meeting. Alicia Wallace, the Bay County Michigan Green Schools Coordinator says, "Congratulations to these four schools for their environmental stewardship and hard work to make Bay County, and Michigan, a healthier and greener place to live. I'm so proud of your environmental efforts and hope you will continue your work as a Michigan Green School. Thank you for participating in the Michigan Green Schools Initiative for 2014-2015."

If you would like more information about the Michigan Green School Program, please contact Alicia Wallace at 989-895-4195 or via email at wallacea@baycounty.net.