Sustainability Program

Faculty and staff and students in Nursery to Grade 8 are committed to integrating environmental sustainability into their lives and classrooms, recognizing it as a vital and necessary part of our institutional mission and our School Creed. This commitment is evident in a curriculum that values sustainability. Our youngest students participate in composting and recycling and a celebration of our planet on Nursery School Earth Day.

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 learn to love nature through outside play and exploration, as well as through participation in environmentally themed projects such as the Grade 1 farm-to-table unit, the Grade 2 recycling study, the Grade 4 shad restoration project, and the Grade 5 archeological dig. The Grade 2 Eco- warriors get a chance each week to learn about sustainable habits from the sustainability director and be an advocate in their classroom.  We empower a new set of students each week to lead the class in composting, waste management, energy savings, and more! 

On the MacArthur Campus, Grades 6, 7, and 8 students have created an environmental action committee that meets to discuss, implement, and assess sustainability initiatives. Grades 7 and 8 students end their St. Patrick’s careers in a science class with a rich environmental science curriculum focused on solution-based learning and conservation.

St. Patrick’s is committed to increasing our understanding of environmental sustainability-related topics and initiatives through professional development for faculty, staff, and administrators. We are also committed to developing partnerships within our local community and beyond as we strive to learn about, implement, and extend best management practices so that we can become more sustainable. We have sponsored sustainability speakers and provided professional development for faculty and staff focused on outdoor education and environmental sustainability. Students have many opportunities to learn about our local environment and community-based efforts to protect it. For example, students have visited the Montgomery County Recycling Center in Derwood, MD, and our compost facility in Upper Marlboro, MD, as well as the Anacostia River and Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens. The interdisciplinary monarch butterfly unit is one of the many highlights of the Grade 1 curriculum, along with our partnership with City Wildlife, which helps our students understand the flora and fauna in our local environment.

Our students and faculty and staff are committed to maintaining a green campus. We compost more than 900 gallons a week and have reduced our lunchtime trash to less than 20 gallons a day for our entire 600-member community. We are committed to greening our campus with renewable energy resources, an easy and efficient recycling system, and composting in our classroom and office areas. To organize and promote these efforts, St. Patrick’s is currently working toward green certification through Eco-Schools USA.