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First BVSD student earns Seal of Climate Literacy, program made possible thanks to grant funding

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Seal of climate literacy student
Susan Cousins
Image: Rose Gillett, a senior at Arapahoe Ridge High School is the first BVSD student to earn the Seal of Climate Literacy

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Since early this school year, BVSD educators, Sustainability staff, and students have been working to launch the district’s new Seal of Climate Literacy diploma endorsement. This month, Rose Gillett, a senior at Arapahoe Ridge High School became the first BVSD student to earn the Seal of Climate Literacy endorsement. 

Gillett applied for the seal by submitting an impressive portfolio, which she built during her BVSD career, showcasing her commitment to sustainability, the environment and climate literacy in her community over time. Her work was reviewed and approved by the BVSD Green Youth Council, marking a significant achievement for both her and the district.

These efforts are being supported in part by a $7,500 competitive grant from Lyra, a Colorado education nonprofit. Lyra created the Seal of Climate Literacy Implementation Fund, a $100,000 grant pool and implementation support program to accelerate adoption and implementation of Colorado’s newest high school diploma endorsement.

Funding from the grant is making it possible to fast-track the Seal of Climate Literacy endorsement in BVSD, giving this year's seniors the opportunity to earn it. Implementation is happening  in several ways: BVSD is collaborating with partners and the Green Youth Council to develop the framework for earning the endorsement and to support students with meeting the criteria. Staff working to implement this project will visit all BVSD high schools to share information about earning the Seal of Climate Literacy and support students in their efforts, providing equitable opportunities for all high school students to earn the Seal of Climate Literacy.

Grant funding will be used, in part, to compensate teachers and staff for their time beyond regular contract hours to develop the framework and directly support students with attaining the Seal of Climate Literacy. In addition, funding will be used to send staff members and students to Colorado’s Climate Summit and to host a Community Celebration of Impact in April where students will present their experiential learning portfolios to the community.

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STUDENTS STEP UP

Incorporating the BVSD Green Youth Council is an innovative aspect of this program and reflects BVSD’s commitment to include more student voice in our sustainability work. The youth council is new this year, but has already been quite busy. The 16-member group of middle and high school students meets monthly. In addition to designing the Seal of Climate Literacy rubric, the group is designing new middle school and high school climate literacy courses; using the BVSD Instructional Model to design elementary lessons related to sustainability; and working on a "Teaching Climate Guide" for secondary and elementary teachers. 


BVSD students pursuing the Seal must meet three requirements:

  1. Complete all graduation requirements.
  2. Complete two courses that incorporate climate literacy - one of them must be a Science course.
  3. Complete an experiential learning portfolio that shows a commitment to sustainability, the environment and climate literacy in our community over time. 

Check out these resources to learn more:

 

 

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