Green School

On May 21, 2006 Gov. Granholm signed into law the Michigan Green School Program. The program lists 20 activities promoting energy savings, recycling and other environmentally friendly practices.
To be designated a “green school”, the school must choose 10 of the activities to participate in.

The following is a list of some of the “green” activities happening now at Northwood, in an effort to become a green school.

Paper Recycling

Northwood implemented a comprehensive, school-wide paper recycling program in September.

Printer Cartridge Recycling

Northwood is collecting and recycling printer cartridges.
Empty printer cartridges can be brought in from home and placed in the collection box located in the media center.
Printer cartridges will be recycled through Cartridge World of Royal Oak.
Northwood can earn money from collecting and recycling these cartridges.

Ecological Poster Contest

Thank you to the 90 students who created a poster that expressed their ideas about being ecologically friendly. The participation was terrific and the posters were awesome!
Posters are on display in the media center.

The winners are as follows:

Kindergarten: Theresa and Annica

1st Grade: Lauren and Camille

2nd Grade: Brooke and Sophia

3rd Grade: Gabbi and Sophy

4th Grade: Hayden and Jenna

5th Grade: Maddie and Isabella

A special thanks to Tom Moline, Deb Wease, Donna McCatty and Betty Ann Garlak for judging our posters.

Endangered Species Adoption – “Wearin’ the Wild to School” Days

Thank you to all the students and staff who participated in the “wearin the wild to school days”. Your votes were counted and your donations raised enough money for Northwood to adopt an
Amur Tiger from the Detroit Zoo. 4 daily zoo passes will be awarded through a drawing from those participants who voted. Look for the animal information to be circulating in school in April.

Home Energy Surveys

Be sure to complete and turn in your Home Energy Surveys. Drawings for prizes will be held the week of April 10th.

Birdhouse Habitat

An area around the new Northwood will be established as a “birdhouse habitat”. We have 6 birdhouses so far that will be installed later this spring.
5 of these birdhouses have been built by Northwood dads and decorated by the Daisy girl scouts and 2nd grade brownies at their joint meeting in April.

Natural Michigan Garden Project

There are plans to put in a “native Michigan” garden in front of the north building. If you have any native Michigan flowers in your garden such as:
Black-Eyed Susans, Purple Coneflower, Coreopsis, Butterfly Weed, or Campanula, please save a shovel full for donating to our new school grounds.

Household Battery Disposal

Northwood is now properly disposing of any spent dry-cell batteries used within the school.
There is a box located in the media center for the collection of batteries.
Residents living in one of the SOCRRA communities can place their spent household batteries in a ziplock bag and place it in their curbside recycling bin.

The batteries will be collected and properly disposed by the solid waste/recycling contractor

Updating of the media center’s print and nonprint ecological materials
Northwood’s Media Center is accepting donations of print and nonprint ecological materials. Please see Mrs. Wease for a copy of the “ecological materials wish list”.

Thank you to these businesses and families for their donations to Northwood’s Green School Program.

Birmingham Jazzercise

Amici’s Pizza

Frentz and Sons Hardware

City of Royal Oak, Department of Public Service

If you have questions or need more information, you can contact any one of the following people involved in the Green School Program listed below.