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Kelly Creek Elementary School proudly flies its Premier Oregon Green Schools flag in the notorious East Wind in the outskirts of Gresham. Recognized in 1995 as the first Premier Oregon Green School in the state, Kelly Creek has maintained the right to fly its flag over the past twelve years! It has sustained its commitment to waste reduction under the leadership of head custodian Christa Garman and her Aardvark Recycling Teams. Each year a new team of 4th and 5th grade Aardvarks is established. Members are carefully selected through an application and interview process – it’s quite an honor to be an Aardvark! The school’s goal to “Continue Strong Efforts in Support of Conservation” is publicly displayed on its webpage. It has sent representatives to every Oregon Green Schools Summit, presented at some of those summits, and hosted the event in 1999. It has also sponsored a district-wide custodians’ training workshop, received the AOR/DEQ Elementary School WRAP award, and utilized several City of Gresham and Metro grants which have enabled it to continually expand and refine its resource conservation program. Its energy conservation efforts have earned it the EPA’s “Energy Star” award. The school continues to reach out to
others to assist with conservation efforts. Christa exchanges “green” bulletin board materials
with her counterpart at Powell Valley Grade School (another Premier
school in the district). And in honor of Earth Day, the school’s
music teacher and 3rd grade choir traveled along with her to another
neighboring school and performed inspiring earth-friendly musical
selections.
Recently, students completed a “Doggie Don’t” stations project which focused on stormwater quality as well as campus cleanliness. They designed and constructed large signs and brightly colored boxes containing plastic bags and placed them on posts around the schoolyard. A garbage container was also placed at each site. The stations offered community dog owners the opportunity to properly dispose of their dog waste. Students also designed promotional materials and conducted a community outreach campaign to encourage use of the stations. The Aarkvarks also gave a presentation to the School Board, which was broadcast on Cable TV, describing their “Doggie Don’t” efforts.
A popular waste reduction tool that the school continues to use consists of reusable Classroom Party Kits (pictured below). Each time a kit is used for a classroom party, it is estimated that 32 gallons of trash are avoided.
So, what’s the next plan at Kelly Creek? It’s
fundraising for playground surfacing made from recycled tires!
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