Quail Lake Charter School earns 'Green Ribbon Schools Award'

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Going green earned Quail Lake Charter School the "Green Ribbon Schools Award."

The honor from the California Department of Education is given to schools that promote eating healthy, environmental literacy and resource conservation.

"A lot of the information we don't even have access to here on site. Our water usage doesn't run through us. So we have to work with everyone in the district to get a lot of the numbers and information we need for that information process," said Heather Bridger, Vice Principal.

She said students and staff worked closely with Sanger Unified School District officials on the 48-page application.

Quail Lake prides itself on saving the environment and making good use of green space.

The school has a butterfly garden and a 4,000 square foot vegetable garden, run by students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

"They do the pre-work with the soil and learn how to mix new soil to make the ground better to plant in. They did all the planting so around here they pretty much do all of the work," said Bridger.

Students sell the produce at the school's farmers market.

Compost for the garden is made from trash collected each day after breakfast and lunch in the school's cafeteria.

Signs help students learn what goes in the compost, recycle and trash bins.

"They have also learned that if it crumbles up, we don't put in the recycling, we put it in the trash. That is one of the easy ways to learn, so if you can crumple it, it goes in the landfill," said Tina Cox, Teacher.

Earning the California Green Ribbon Schools Award means Quail Lake is automatically nominated for the national award.

The winner will be selected in May.