The first annual “Earth Day recognition for the Superintendent’s Honor Roll” were honored at the April 27 board meeting.  The following groups and individuals have, according to BVSD Sustainability Coordinator Ghita Carroll, made outstanding contributions toward meeting BVSD’s goals as outlined in the BVSD Sustainability Management System or SMS. 

The SMS is broken into four categories, Education, Buildings, Transportation and Material Flows. Students and staff district wide have been making changes big and small to help green our operations and curriculum.

In the Education category, we honored New Vista High School’s Earth Task Force made up of: Students: Kelly Muller, Zander Deetz, Aleyna Porreca, Aaron Fox, Marissa Bramlett and Malcolm Marshall. Teachers: Paige Doughty, Kate Hartman and Andy Stephens

The Earth Task Force is a group of dedicated students and teachers who have spent the past year creating a comprehensive sustainability campaign at New Vista. The school was selected as a pilot by BVSD, and this group has gone above and beyond all expectations in their efforts. Some of their activities included: hosting “eat local” and “lights out” lunches; creating an “Alternative April” bike, bus or walk month; and raising money to install solar panels on the school (to name just few activities).

Also in the Education category, Crest View Teacher Cindy Monnet was honored for her creation of “green curricula.” Ghita writes that Cindy is, “a stand-out teacher who has brought renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other environmental concepts to life in her classroom through her enthusiasm for teaching and her collaboration with the University of Colorado’s Teach for Sustainability.”

Another Crest View Elementary teacher who was recognized was David Mohseni who served as the sponsor teacher for Eco-Cycle’s Waste-Free Lunch Contest three different years, first at BCSIS and now at Crest View Elementary, facilitating up to a 95 percent lunchtime waste reduction at those schools.

Flatirons Elementary Teacher Mike Strife was also recognized for his integration of concepts of sustainability within his lesson plans and his leadership in CU’s Teach for Sustainability program. 

In the Buildings category, Jesse McCoppin of BVSD IT was recognized for his successful implementation of new IT power management software, which will power down all district computers when not in use, savings tens of thousands of dollars for BVSD in decreased energy costs.

Next in the Buildings category was Lou Novak, Bond Project Manager for the new Casey Middle School. Lou was acknowledged for his leadership in the construction of what will be BVSD’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified school, making it one of the greenest school buildings in the nation. 

In the Material Flows category, Matt Stewart, BVSD Warehouse Manager, was recognized for his many greenBVSD efforts around reuse and recycling. Thanks to Matt’s time and dedication, BVSD has been able to reuse and recycle the majority of the furniture coming out of the schools for replacement. He has also helped reduce the amount of non-recyclable items in the warehouse stock.  

In the Transportation category, BVSD Alternative Transportation Coordinator Landon Hilliard was honored for his tireless advocacy for biking, walking and busing. His ongoing work has resulted in thousands of BVSD students taking alternative modes of transportation to school.

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