Mize Elementary Named 2026 Kansas Green School of the Year

Mize Elementary in De Soto USD 232 has been named the 2026 Kansas Green School of the Year! This recognition reflects the dedication of our students, staff, families, and community partners who have worked together to create a more sustainable learning environment.

2023–2024: Building Our Foundation

During the 2023–2024 school year, Mize Elementary officially became a Kansas Green School, and I earned certification as a Kansas Green School Leader. We launched a recycling and composting program in our cafeteria as part of the Waste & Recycling Investigation, helping students develop sustainable habits during lunch.

Our efforts earned us a $1,000 Waste Challenge Grant, which we used to purchase a grow shelf and other environmentally friendly resources. We also explored additional ways to strengthen our learning community through sustainability initiatives.

Students learned from guest speakers from the K-State Extension Office about composting and from Johnson County Health & Environment about recycling. We added more recycling bins throughout the school, and students created posters encouraging everyone to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. They also participated in engaging environmental learning experiences, including studying bird adaptations and designing new bird species using recycled materials.

To celebrate and share our learning with families, we hosted our first Green Night, which was a tremendous success.

2024–2025: Growing Our Impact

In 2024–2025, our school returned to using reusable lunch trays and silverware for most lunches, significantly reducing waste.

We also completed the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge by collecting over 1,000 pounds of plastic bags, earning a Trex garden bench for our school. I had the opportunity to present about Kansas Green Schools during a district professional development day, inspiring additional schools in De Soto USD 232 to begin their own Green School journeys. Our long-term goal is to become a Green District.

We hosted our second annual Green Night alongside our PTO's Mizeapalooza celebration. Community partners, including KC Can Compost, ScrapsKC, and Trane Energy, shared hands-on learning opportunities with our families. Green Night has become a cherished tradition and one of our school's signature events.

2025–2026: Cultivating a Sustainable Future

The 2025–2026 school year was filled with exciting milestones. Sunflowers planted by our fifth-grade students unexpectedly grew taller than the school roof over the summer. We harvested the seeds and created seed packets for students to take home and share throughout the community.

We launched a Junior Master Gardener Program in partnership with the K-State Extension Office and received a $500 EPA grant to install new garden beds. More than 480 kindergarten through fifth-grade students participated in assembling the metal raised beds, filling them with soil, and transplanting seedlings they had started from seeds in their classrooms. This hands-on experience allowed nearly every student to play a role in creating and caring for our school garden.

I also attended the Kansas Environmental Conference and plan to bring students next year so they can share their enthusiasm and experiences with our school garden. Our school donated surplus school supplies to ScrapsKC, further supporting sustainability through reuse.

The year concluded with an incredible honor—Mize Elementary was named the 2026 Kansas Green School of the Year.

This recognition celebrates the passion, teamwork, and commitment of our entire school community. We look forward to continuing our sustainability journey and inspiring future generations of environmental leaders.