John Carroll will soon be a Green School.

A Green School is one that has met the requirements set by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE).

“There are a variety of policies and protocols that schools can adopt to meet the requirements.

The main idea is that the implementation must be student driven,” Planting with Patriots Moderator Mary Beth Cochran said.

JC will not be the first to obtain this title and will be joining other area high schools like Bel Air, C Milton Wright, and Fallston. 24 schools in Harford County are in this program.

Being a Green School “means that you are practicing attitudes and behaviors that positively impact the earth and its resources. In addition, because JC is a faith-based school, being a Green

School supports the call for us to be mindful of the beauty of Earth and our role to support and preserve what God has made,” Ms. Cochran said.

Classes and clubs at JC reflect the soon-to-be-title, supporting students who want to be environmentally involved. These include Environmental Science, Marine Biology, the recently-added Chesapeake Bay Ecology and Wildlife Biology, and the Envirothon Team.

The goal moving forward is to have students act as “Green Ambassadors,” creating projects and forming assemblies and other means of guidance to educate surrounding peers.

The idea of adopting the Green School practices came from many in the community, including students, faculty and staff. The administration supports the change.

Some changes will be made to certain processes and procedures within the school, but most will be student-managed. Some of the examples of these changes can include updating the recycling program, creating a compost, and starting an up-cycle event. Everyone will play a role in the process, and everyone will benefit from the rewards.

“The changes and programs are designed to be student-generated and student-driven. Being a Green School is mostly about the student culture and how students want their community to operate,” Ms. Cochran commented.

These efforts by students will take time and effort, but according to Ms. Cochran, it is “not something outside or above students.”

This program is designed for students to learn about the environment and is not a set of rules set by administrators for students to follow.

Sophomore Ella Parks commented, “I think it’s great John Carroll is becoming a Green School. Environmental issues are extremely pressing right now, and I think everyone should be educated. John Carroll becoming a Green School is a great first step.”