By Brooke Hartman, Schools Outreach Specialist

DGS is proud to share this DCPS Recycles! Honor Roll Success Story from Randle Highlands Elementary School!

This year Randle Highlands Elementary School showed they are more than ready to take their already excellent recycling program to the next level! Randle Highlands has assembled an impressive group of teachers and maintenance staff who are well equipped to provide the educational component that is crucial to the success of the organics collection program that will be provided next year.

This year, Randle Highlands built a new school garden in partnership with City Blossoms, made possible from a grant from OSSE’s School Garden Program. DGS and partner ECO City Farms  provided a pest-resistant outdoor compost bin and a worm bin for classroom use. Thirteen staff members participated in on-site compost training sessions, which included a two-hour training session in a classroom and an additional hour getting their hands dirty with bin outside. Before the training was over the teachers were already planning out a schedule for engaging students in maintaining the bin!

With the help of these enthusiastic teachers, students at Randle Highlands will have the opportunity to put organic materials in their compost bin on school grounds to see how the natural degradation process occurs. Although the majority of their organic waste will be hauled away to a commercial composting facility, these teachers are equipped with the tools to show students what will happen to their food waste when it is taken away, and they will have the additional bonus of rich compost to use in their garden!

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