Members of National Grid assisting in a Day of Service at the Stoklosa Middle School Garden, preparing the garden for safe use and healthy planting conditions
The Climate Cool Schools program is a collaborative sustainability initiative between the University of Massachusetts Lowell and National Grid. The program is the first and only of its kind within the United States. The Climate Cool Schools program aims to increase awareness of climate change and advance a joint climate and environmental sciences curriculum for middle school students, as well as their families.
The pilot school for the Climate Cool Schools program is the Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School, located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Stoklosa Middle School has a population of approximately 625 students, many of whom come from low-income households and/or identify as high-need students. Upon the completion of the pilot, the Climate Cool Schools program will expand to five more schools in the City of Lowell, followed by three schools outside of the Lowell area in the following years.
The program is made up of six core pillars that each school must complete and implement in their regular academic and extracurricular activities:
- School Garden and Nutritional Education - Engaging students with their school gardens in collaboration with Mill City Grows and a dedicated volunteer group from UMass Lowell to keep the gardens clean, healthy, and in use for educational and well-being benefits.
- Safe Routes to School (assisted by MassDOT) - Ensuring schools have access to the proper resources, including grants and physical materials, necessary to facilitate safe transportation to and from school via walking, biking, or shared transportation.
- Waste and Recycling Analysis and Audit – Understanding the waste and recycling practices of participating schools through regular audits and distributing resources to the schools to assist in their waste and recycling processes (posters, increased trash receptacles, etc.).
- Decarbonization Roadmap - Support schools in their progress towards decarbonization while working with the City of Lowell and National Grid to achieve school-specific energy efficiency goals.
- Sustainability and Climate Change Summer Education Program – Providing teachers with the necessary training and materials to implement sustainability into their lesson plans in conjunction with state curriculum requirements.
- A Sustainability Focused Day of Service – Bring students to UMass Lowell’s campus for an opportunity to explore the Urban Agriculture Greenhouse and Farm and celebrate their graduation from the Climate Cool Schools program.
Through collaboration with National Grid and strengthened engagement with UMass Lowell’s community networks—including the City of Lowell, Mill City Grows, Safe Routes to Schools, and The Bike Connector—the Climate Cool Schools program will come to life across Lowell and beyond!