TUSD’s Manzo Elementary wins national Green School award

by David Safier

TUSD's Manzo Elementary is the only K-12 public school in the U.S. to win the Best Green School award from the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools.

Manzo Elementary School, on Tucson's west side, is the only K-12 public school in the U.S. to win this title.  The list, which includes colleges, businesses and policy makers highlight educational institutes and individuals across the nation, who embrace environmental initiatives.

Manzo Elementary was one of the schools scheduled for closing, but it was spared in the final Board vote. The school's wholistic environmental program has been building over the past few years, and the hope is it can be a focus for student growth as well as an increase in enrollment. Manzo has a way to go in student achievement as measured on AIMS. It's working hard on improving students' skill levels in specific areas where they have lagged. Because it wasn't closed, it has some time to make positive things happen.

Here's a post about the school's environmental project.