Hampton Bays Middle School Honored by White House

The Hampton Bays Middle School deserves plenty of congratulations. The U.S. Department of Education has officially named the school to be a “top green school” in the United States. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was joined yesterday by the White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to announce the first-ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools. The Green Ribbon School list includes just 78 schools that span 29 states and D.C.

BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers designed the school and incorporated numerous green architectural and engineering features.  “The innovative, healthy and environmentally responsible Hampton Bays Middle School is the result of a very close collaboration among the local community, parents, Hampton Bays Union Free School District and the design team,” said BBS President and Principal Architect Roger P. Smith, AIA, LEED AP.  “It was the Long Island community’s commitment to sustainable development that resulted in this remarkable, national accolade for a local Suffolk County school.”

“Science, environmental and outdoor education play a central role in providing children with a well-rounded education, helping prepare them for the jobs of the future,” said Duncan. “U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools demonstrate compelling examples of the ways schools can help children build real-world skillsets, cut school costs, and provide healthy learning environments.”

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a federal recognition program that opened in September 2011. Honored schools exercise a comprehensive approach to creating “green” environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health, and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with the 21st century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy.

“Schools that take a green approach cut costs on their utility bills, foster healthy and productive classrooms, and prepare students to thrive in the 21st century economy,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “These Green Ribbon School award winners are taking outstanding steps to educate tomorrow’s environmental leaders, and demonstrating how sustainability and environmental awareness make sense for the health of our students and our country.”