Sustainability Spotlight: Maclain Randazzo at Rousseau Elementary School
March’s Sustainability Spotlight is shining on Maclain Randazzo from Rousseau Elementary School. Randazzo has been teaching at Rousseau for seven years and took on the role of Sustainability Champion in August 2025. Since then, he has gone above and beyond to involve the whole school community in sustainability initiatives.
Randazzo has focused his efforts on highlighting the sustainability work already happening at Rousseau, teaming up with staff, students, and parents to formalize and amplify those efforts across a variety of programs. He emphasizes that the many smaller actions around the school can add up to a big impact on students’ lives and learning.
It's not like we're doing anything outrageous, but it's all these little things that can add up to making a big difference. And so that's been really cool."
One of those little things has been partnering with PE teacher Tracy Timmons-Focht to support and promote the Bike and Walk to School Day celebration. Rousseau’s fall celebration drew participation from over 200 students, who walked and biked to school while learning about the benefits of sustainable transportation.
Randazzo also teamed up with school librarian Jordan Cudaback to bring titles from the Climate Action Bookshelf into regularly scheduled read-alongs. Students took a particular interest in The Lorax, and even held an informal memorial and celebration for a recently removed tree in the area.
“Showing those books, that’s gonna make an impact for a kid, even if it’s just one or two kids.”
Randazzo has worked largely within the Green Schools Recognition Program to find existing and accessible ways to weave sustainability into the everyday rhythms of school life. So far this school year, Rousseau has earned points through this rewards framework for activities including:
- Students placing "lights out" stickers to encourage energy savings,
- Teachers adding paper towel waste reduction decals to their classrooms,
- Life skills students collecting markers to be recycled, and
- Gardening done by the school's parent-led Pollinator Club.
Each small effort builds on the one before and encourages students to think sustainably and take initiative to be environmentally conscious. Taken together, Randazzo’s approach is a testament to the power of teamwork. By connecting with passionate people across the Rousseau community, he has been able to celebrate and formalize sustainability efforts, drawing on the strengths of others to keep students engaged.
His advice to fellow Sustainability Champions? Build on what’s already happening and lean into the people around you.
Think, 'what’s the small things that we can do that don’t necessarily take a lot of effort', you can start there, and then keep building."
Randazzo has proven that building community and sustainability can be natural and even energizing. With a commitment to expanding these efforts for years to come, he’s just getting started. The future of sustainability at Rousseau is in passionate hands, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
