The California Department of Education Awarded La Colina Junior High a 2024 California Green Ribbon School Award

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The honor is given to schools for implementing outdoor classrooms and comprehensive environmental education initiatives, among other criteria. 

La Colina was honored for its beautiful and thriving garden, campus beautification, garden education, composting, and community partnerships.

“This silver level award is the result of our school’s effort to lead the way in whole-school sustainability and shows our commitment to embracing practices that support our goals of emphasizing personal responsibility and engaging in environmentally friendly practices,” said La Colina Teacher Maureen Granger.

The Green Ribbon School Award celebrates the efforts and progress of La Colina students, school and district staff, families, and community partners to support whole school sustainability.

“La Colina is proud to be recognized for our sustainability efforts and looks forward to continuing this important work in partnership with our school site, district, and community partners,” said Principal Jennifer Foster.

The school incorporates its green initiatives in every part of the school day, including PE classes. Students will help run over and pick weeds as part of their warmup. Additionally, outside of the classroom, an initiative to temporarily find alternatives to single-use plastic at lunch was held for Earth Day.

“We are proud to see how La Colina is stepping up to be a state leader in this space. Santa Barbara Unified believes in teaching our students about the importance of living a sustainable future, for our students. Our unique geography requires us to practice sustainability efforts, and historical evidence has shown us the importance of caring for our regional resources,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, Superintendent.

Foster and Granger both accepted the Green Ribbon Award at a ceremony in Claremont on Tuesday.