NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) in Deep Creek, South Eleuthera, earned its seventh consecutive Eco-Schools Green Flag Award on Tuesday, 7 May 2024. The Green Flag Award is the highest award level a school can achieve and is awarded every two years to schools committed to excellence in environmental education and practice. During the recertification process, DCMS Eco-Committee students led the Green Flag assessment team on a tour of the DCMS campus and discussed their sustainability actions and environmental stewardship.
Eco-Schools Bahamas is part of an international award programme developed in 1994 by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Eco-Schools is based on the work of student-led teams and recognizes schools for their achievements in Education for Sustainable Development and continuously improving the sustainability performance of the school and the wider community. Eco-schools engage the creativity of young people to find solutions for local environmental problems and sustainable development challenges in our communities.
“I’ve been eager to participate in Eco-Schools since I was six, I think we are doing a great thing because we are helping to protect wildlife and our native species,” said 7th grader and Eco-club member Gino Guina.
“We want a positive change in our community; we want to see less litter. Although we didn’t get everyone onboard, I’m happy that more people are aware of what the change can look like,” said Bria Allen, an 8th-grade DCMS student and Eco-club member.
“I started to care more when I realised that so many people were unaware of how harmful plastics can be to our environment, and I am determined to make a change,” said Aallieah Rolle, an 8th-grade DCMS student and Eco-club member.
“We always come together to plan the projects, for this one, we have been making signs around the school and around town to encourage people to pick up their trash and not to litter,” said 7th grader and Eco-club member Bradley Young.
According to DCMS’ principal and Eco-Schools Coordinator Chelle Marshall:“This year, we challenged ourselves to expand our Eco School Action Plan to our wider community, initially by conducting stakeholder discussions within the community last fall and then engaging with Island School and the Centre for Training and Innovation resources in the spring. We look forward to moving forward with informed initiatives for the remainder of this year and continuing next year.”
BREEF’s Education Coordinator and National Operator for the Eco-Schools Bahamas Programme, Kevin Glinton called Deep Creek Middle School a “pacesetter” in BREEF’s Eco-Schools Bahamas network, as they were the first school in the English-speaking Caribbean to receive the prestigious Green Flag back in 2011
Eco-Schools are implemented in 73 countries by FEE member organizations and in 26 countries through International Schools.
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