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The children of Boston Latin School celebrate their big win.

Green Goodness

Boston Latin School was awarded the winner of Global Green USA's second annual Green School Makeover Competition, which was presented by Pureology.

As a result, the school will receive a $75,000 grant to assist it with reaching its goal of creating a sustainable school garden, making improvements to reduce energy usage throughout the school and reducing the amount of plastic water bottles on the campus.

Boston Latin School was selected from more than 450 entries nationwide, each of which submitted a student-created proposal outlining green initiatives and achievements to date, while outlining what the student body would do if it nabbed the top spot in the contest.

"We're humbled by the record number of submissions we received from schools this year," says Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green USA-a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the places, people and planet in need. "It's inspiring to see how eco-conscious the kids are."

A panel of judges reviewed the entries, which were received from a record number of K-12 public, private and charter schools nationwide. Then, ten finalists were chosen. The top schools from the group then received a site visit from Global Green USA staff. Finalists included:

• Waters Elementary-a public elementary in Chicago with a successful ecology program;
• PS89 The Liberty School-a public school in New York dedicated to reducing landfill waste and conserving energy;
• Lawndale High in California-a public school that hopes to add a community garden and recycling program;
• Northwest PA Collegiate Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania-a public high school that plans to create a model for their inner-city district through a student 'green team;'
• Our Lady of the Lake in Ashland, Wisconsin-a private elementary school that proposed expanding its environmental sciences curriculum;
• West Elementary School in Long Beach, New York, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy and plans to rebuild green;
• University Heights High in Bronx, New York-a public high school that plans to expand its urban farm;
• Henry C. Lea School in Philadelphia-a public school with plans to transform its play space into a green and healthy environment and add solar energy; and finally,
• Granada Center/El Monte Union High in California-a public high school that aims to ensure the health of its special needs students through green upgrades.

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