A smiling young girl holds two colorful painted rocks, one a red-yellow sunset and another rainbow with dots, outdoors on a sunny day. She wears a white shirt.
Four young women are gardening together. One pours soil into a planter as the others watch and assist. They appear focused and collaborative.
Two smiling children in colorful clothing lie on either side of a poster. The poster reads "Don't be mean, go green" with drawings of plants and clouds.
A group of six people smiling while cleaning up an overgrown area. They're holding trash bags and wearing gloves, conveying a sense of teamwork and community spirit.
Children are gathered on a sidewalk, enthusiastically coloring a large poster with bold letters. The scene is bright and lively, conveying creativity.
A group of five people stands outdoors, enthusiastically discussing large solar panels in a sunny field, conveying interest and collaboration.
Two children sit at a table, smiling, while creating tree paintings. The artwork features colorful painted leaves, and the setting is a cheerful classroom.
A group of children enthusiastically pose around a newly planted tree in a grassy area. One child holds a "Holmes Prickly Planet Protectors" sign. Vibrant and joyful scene.
A group of children sits on the floor in a library during a storytime session, attentively listening to a person reading a book. The room is bright, with large windows and colorful posters, creating a cheerful atmosphere.
Group of students in a community garden with plants, discussing near a whiteboard and picnic table. A school bus is parked in the background.
Three kids happily gardening in a sunny garden, holding tools and freshly picked vegetables. Their smiles and the lush greenery convey a joyful mood.

2025-26 Green Schools Recognition Program Results

The Green Schools Recognition Program just wrapped up its tenth year! Through this program, schools choose and complete a variety of earth-friendly activities throughout the school year. These activities earn the school points towards Green, Greener and Greenest levels of achievement, plus corresponding funding rewards for future sustainability projects. 

24 schools submitted their activities from 2025-26, with over 350 activities reported across the district! LPS staff, students, families and community partners spent time in gardens, read from the Climate Action Bookshelf, celebrated Earth Day and more! All of these activities empower students to understand their role in environmental stewardship as they work together to take action.

Congratulations to this year's funding award winners!

Green:

  • Science Focus Program:
    Earned 115 points, receives $50
  • Arts & Humanities Focus Program:
    Earned 80 points, receives $50

Greener:

  • Southwest High:
    Earned 165 points, receives $100

Greenest:

  • Holmes Elementary:
    Earned 615 points, receives $200
  • Norwood Park Elementary:
    Earned 255 points, receives $200
  • Mickle Middle:                                         Earned 215 points, receives $200
  • Sheridan Elementary:
    Earned 210 points, receives $200
  • Rousseau Elementary:
    Earned 200 points, receives $200

Top Elementary & Secondary:

  • Maxey Elementary:
    Earned 300 points, receives $500 as top earning elementary school
  • Lincoln High:
    Earned 230 points, receives $500 as top earning secondary school

2025-26 Points Totals

Horizontal bar chart displaying data for Lincoln Public Schools and their points for the Green Schools Recognition Program.

*New for the 2025-26 school year: Schools must submit one or more activities per quarter in order to be eligible for Top Elementary or Top Secondary recognition. This funding reward level cannot be earned two years in a row, but can be awarded multiple nonconsecutive years.

A previous year’s Top Elementary and Top Secondary awardees are still eligible for funding rewards for attaining Green, Greener, or Greenest points totals the year immediately following their $500 funding reward!

Ashlee Hendricks and Sarah Phillips smiling and holding a framed certificate stand on a grassy lawn. They are in front of a brick building under a partly cloudy sky.
(From left) Ashlee Hendricks and Sarah Phillips accept Maxey Elementary's 2025-26 GSRP Top Elementary school award
Read about their efforts
Three students stand smiling outside a brick school building. The middle student holds a certificate for "Top Secondary: Lincoln High School."
United Garden Club accepts Lincoln High School's 2025-26 GSRP Top Secondary school award
Three young people volunteer by a garden under a bright blue sky. Two hold plants, smiling and wearing red shirts. A building and parking lot are in the background.
Three children play violins outdoors by a playground slide, with a woman conducting. The scene is set on vibrant green grass under a sunny sky.
A child gently holds a leopard gecko, carefully observing its spotted pattern. The setting feels curious and educational, with expressive focus.
Four smiling people stand in a conference room. One holds an "Envirothon Nebraska" sign. The atmosphere is casual and friendly.
Two children are drawing on paper while lying on a blue blanket outdoors. The scene is sunny, evoking a mood of concentration and creativity.
A bustling Sustainability Showcase in a large, well-lit room with people examining displays and posters. Participants are engaged and animated, emphasizing excitement.
A child wearing glasses, a helmet, and a red sweater stands beside a blue bicycle on a sunny day, smiling near a bike rack in a park setting.

A huge thank you to all the schools who participated this school year, and congratulations to our funding award recipients! We can’t wait to see what you have in store for 2026-27!

Most Popular Green Schools Recognition Program Activities

Green Team Meeting

5 points (50 max)
Any time your green team has an official meeting (either in person or online), you can earn points! This group could be known by other names like Eco Club, Garden Club, Recycling Club, etc. but the goals and objectives of the group should align with sustainably centered themes.
Green Team Handbook

Growing Gardens

20 points (5 points per outdoor activity, 30 points max)
Establish or maintain an active school garden! Our Lincoln Public Schools Garden Manuals are available for anyone interested in starting up a school garden or utilizing an existing outdoor space better.
Gardens & Outdoor Learning​ Page & Manuals

Take it Outside

5 points (50 points max)
Take one of your classroom lessons and adapt it to be an outdoor lesson. For example, conduct your math lesson outside counting with flowers, or a science lesson identifying parts of the plant. This can be done with any age group or subject area, but here is a great resource for Using Nature to Meet Educational Standards at the elementary level.
Using Nature to Meet Educational Standards

Marker Recycling

10 points
Gather up plastic writing utensils and send them to the Sustainability team to be recycled! Collect markers, pens, mechanical pencils, and their caps in a box at your school. These can be any brand, any size, and any condition!
Flyer

More information and activities!

Story Time

5 points per book (50 points max)
Choose a book from our Climate Action Bookshelf to read during a whole class read aloud or during a small group guided reading project.
Climate Action Bookshelf

Outdoor Art

5 points
Use natural materials found outside to make art! Discuss all the possible materials that can be found around your school then have your students collect their own materials that they discovered. Draw, paint, make a pattern, get inspired from nature, and feed your students creativity!

Community Litter Clean Up

15 points

Partner: Keep Lincoln Lancaster County Beautiful

Clean up litter near your school, or anywhere in the community! Supplies for the clean up are available through the Keep Lincoln Lancaster County Beautiful Community Improvement Program.