Montville Schools Going Green Next Week

Students, teachers and even parents will be encouraged to think "green" next week as the Montville school district embarks on a weeklong program of environmental consciousness.

The district will be participating in "Green Apple Week," a spinoff from the U.S. Green Building Council's "Green Apple Day of Service," according to Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried. "Green Apple Day of Service" is celebrated on Sept. 29 and encourages people to take action in their communities to help create a healthier, more sustainable planet.

"The teachers found curriculum connected to this overall topic and all of our teachers now have access to that curriculum," Fried said.

Teachers will incorporate lessons relating to the environment into courses throughout the week and students will work on special projects that relate to being environmentally-friendly. Additionally, Fried said the students will be learning about the importance of recycling and one of the projects they will work on will involve measuring the amount of trash generated in the cafeteria and making a pledge to produce less waste during the week. The students will be encouraged to bring lunches in reusable packaging to school.

Fried said the concept of "Green Apple Week" was brought to the district by a Green Committee formed last January. The committee includes teachers, administrators and parents from each of the district schools.

"At the end of the year, I asked if there was anyone who wanted to do something to show leadership on the committee," Fried asked.

Three committee members came forward and began working on the program: Cathy Lundquist (Cedar Hill Elementary School), Matt Myers (Lazar Middle School) and James Miller (Montville Township High School).

As a result, teachers were forwarded links to lesson plans that they can cater to their classes to help educate the students on the importance of the topic.