The garden at Bellarmine College Preparatory has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Schoolyard Habitat (nwf.org/schoolyard). The commemorative plaque that will be installed in the garden reads as follows: “This site is recognized for its commitment to sustainably provide the essential elements of wildlife habitat and provide students a place to learn outdoors and connect with nature.”
Since 1996, the National Wildlife Federation has worked to assist schools in the creation of Schoolyard Habitats®, which create and restore wildlife habitat on school grounds while providing outdoor classrooms for learning across the curriculum. There are currently more than 10,000 schools that have been certified through this program.
These wildlife habitats become places where students not only learn about wildlife species and ecosystems, but also outdoor classrooms where they hone their academic skills and nurture their innate curiosity and creativity.
This recognition is the most recent for Bellarmine’s sustainability efforts, which includes earning the distinction as a Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education (ED-GRS), one of only 26 schools (and one of two high schools in California), 11 districts, and four postsecondary institutions nationwide to be so honored. Additionally, for the second time since 2021, the school has been designated as a 2023 California Green Ribbon School (CA-GRS), the corresponding state award for the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools recognition.
As noted in its Mission of Environmental Sustainability: “As a Catholic high school in the Jesuit tradition, Bellarmine College Preparatory is committed to serving God by educating our community about ecological stewardship and solidarity with creation, and by modeling that stewardship and solidarity in the day-to-day operations of our school.”