Pioneer Elementary School in Gig Harbor has been awarded the 2024 Waste Not Washington School Award by the Washington State Department of Ecology, receiving $5,000 for its project-based learning program on human impact. This program is part of the Department of Ecology’s mission to encourage sustainability and support educational initiatives focused on waste reduction, recycling, and the implementation of the Waste Not curriculum. Statewide, the program allocates up to $100,000 to various schools.
Pioneer Elementary intends to use the award funds to enhance sustainable-practice lesson plans for kindergarten through third-grade teachers and to buy additional worm bins for its garden, supplementing its existing worm bin and solar composter. Principal Stephanie Strader expressed gratitude for the grant, highlighting its role in promoting environmental stewardship and fostering curiosity among students about their environmental footprint. This recognition follows the school’s previous honor as a 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School, awarded for its commitment to sustainability both in its physical infrastructure and educational content.