Schools

Sixteen Grosse Pointe Schools Achieve Green Status

The schools work to earn points to achieve certain levels of green from Wayne County. This year 14 Grosse Pointe Public schools and two private schools have earned the status.

Name: Trombly & Poupard Elementary Schools

Green dream: At Trombly, staff, students and parents are working toward having a fully operational greenhouse. The existing greenhouse is falling into disrepair and needs work to make it fully functional and keep the squirrels out. 

Why go Green? Trombly and Poupard schools are among a list of 16 green schools in Grosse Pointe. Fourteen are from the public school district and two are private. The schools earn a green rating by earning points from Wayne County Michigan Green Schools Program. Trombly and Poupard have been the green longest, have the highest rating and have earned the highest number of points. 

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All of the schools participate in a variety of recycling and some have even begun recycling Capri Sun containers. At Trombly, they've begun attempting to have waste free lunches periodically, which Principal Walter Fitzpatrick said reduces the school's overall garbage significantly. A teacher charts the weight of the trash for students so they can see the impact, Fitzpatrick said. 

Both Trombly and Poupard have been green certified for four years and they are two of only six schools in the state to have such certification for four years, according to the Wayne County program coordinator Nancy Gregor.

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Both have earned the highest status of green: Evergreen. Trombly earned 25 points and Poupard earned 27 points, according to Gregor.

Most of the schools practice energy saving practices, such as shutting classroom lights off when students are not present, using more efficient light-bulbs and more. The practices vary school to school, and the one theme echoed by many of the principals is the effort is community based. 

"It's really a group effort," Richard Principal Mary MacDonald-Barrett said. "It's a whole community effort, teachers, students, parents, office staff, and more."

At Trombly, Fitzpatrick said parents and community members have already organized weeding and plant care for the community garden during the summer months when school officials are not around. 

Parents are a big part of the green efforts at Defer Elementary, Principal Karen Sullivan said. Defer, as many of the schools, also has a Green Team of about 60 students who take on weekly duties related to green efforts. 

"Absolutely, it takes the whole school and the whole community to do it," Fitzpatrick said, noting how much  more aware the students are today as compared to years ago. 

Among some of the highlights, Pierce Middle School Principal Gary Buslepp said his school recycled 535 pounds of materials in December alone, which amounts to saving five trees.

Defer Elementary School uses mainly green cleaning products and Richard is researching grant monies to convert its roof to a green roof, which would allow for science experiments and other learning.

Many of the schools have flower gardens containing those that are native to Michigan. There is also a push for students to walk to school in celebration of Earth Day, which Grosse Pointe Public will celebrate April 29 since they are on break during the actual day. 

School Grades # of Years Designation Brownell Middle School Middle 2nd Emerald - 19 Defer Elementary School Elementary 3rd Evergreen - 23 Ferry Elementary School Elementary 3rd Emerald - 15 Grosse Pointe North High School High 3rd Evergreen - 20 Grosse Pointe South High School High 2nd Evergreen 20 Kerby Elementary School Elementary 3rd Emerald - 15 Maire Elementary School Elementary 3rd Evergreen - 20 Mason Elementary School Elementary 3rd Evergreen - 23 Monteith Elementary School Elementary 3rd Emerald - 17 Parcells Middle School Middle 3rd Emerald - 16 Pierce Middle School Middle 3rd Evergreen - 24 Poupard Elementary School Elementary 4th Evergreen - 27 Richard Elementary School Elementary 3rd Evergreen - 20 Trombly Elementary School Elementary 4th Evergreen - 25 Grosse Pointe Academy Academy 2nd Green - 10 University Liggett K-12 3rd Evergreen - 23

The chart is courtesy of Wayne County Michigan Green Schools Program.


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