Sustainability Spotlight: Lee Dreyer at Beattie Elementary

For nearly 20 years, the school garden and outdoor classroom at Beattie Elementary have been the hub for sustainability connections. Lee Dreyer, Sustainability Champion and third grade teacher at Beattie has been leading sustainability efforts at the school since the recycling program began in 2002.

“My mother was a huge environmentalist, and my dad planted thousands of trees on his ranch in western Nebraska. Those are the major reasons I got interested in sustainability in the first place.”

Dreyer regularly meets and collaborates with other Beattie staff members for Green Team meetings to discuss how to continue supporting and furthering sustainability in their building. With help from Karen Creswell, a Master Gardener who volunteers to coordinate the school garden, the Green Team has planned successful engagement activities with students and surrounding community members in the flourishing garden. These environmentally centered family outreach events include regularly scheduled Family Garden Nights when students and their families can help tend the vegetation, Nature Scavenger Hunts, and an annual garden clean up day when families help prepare the outdoor spaces for spring planting and summer watering. 

Karen Creswell and Lee Dreyer showcasing the Beattie school garden during a district wide Garden Gathering event in August.
Karen Creswell and Lee Dreyer showcasing the Beattie school garden during a district wide Garden Gathering event in August.
New whole-school composting collection setup in 5th grade classrooms.
New whole-school composting collection setup in 5th grade classrooms.
September family garden night activities included weeding in the garden and decorating pumpkins.
September family garden night activities included weeding in the garden and decorating pumpkins.
Families enjoyed jam made from elderberries in their garden
Families enjoyed jam made from elderberries in their garden
Garden Tic Tac Toe is a fun way to engage families
Garden Tic Tac Toe is a fun way to engage families
Another successful family garden night in 2021
Another successful family garden night in 2021
Students enjoying their independent reading time outside in the garden
Students enjoying their independent reading time outside in the garden

Beyond family and community involvement, during the school day students are continually visiting the school garden and connecting it to sustainability. Each spring and fall Creswell helps students plan and plant in the garden and discuss challenges the garden could face in the upcoming season.

Currently, the Beattie Green Team and student leadership team is planning Earth Day celebrations. “Students will be involved in activities during the week in connection with sustaining a healthy planet, culminating with a day of celebrating and working in our garden,” explained Dreyer. In addition to Earth Day celebrations, the school is also making efforts to transition to whole-school compost collection. Dreyer is spearheading this transition and helping phase the new waste station set ups in the 5th grade classrooms as they continue to expand this program in the near future. 

“Our Green Team is working to help students build connections between taking care of the garden and sustaining a healthy environment in general,” mentioned Dreyer. “I would highly recommend any school to start a Green Team in connection with the LPS Sustainability Champions,” said Dreyer. Schools interested in starting a Green Team can use this handbook as a resource. “[A school Green Team] is a wonderful way to build something unique that connects a school to its community and fosters the development of student understanding with recycling about everything, reusing rather than throwing certain items away, and reducing waste.  These are all critical elements that students need to not only be aware of, but also be actively involved in if they’re going to be part of a generation that makes a significant positive impact on our environment.”

Thank you Lee Dreyer and Beattie Elementary for being a champion of sustainability in LPS!

Updated March 2, 2022