Office of Education gets award for sustainability  

Speakers at the awards ceremony shared a through-line sentiment. Addressing climate change is a critical facet of education and for preparing students to enter the world. 

“California faces tremendous environmental challenges,” said Marco Chavez, deputy superintendent of Education Services. “Education will play an increasingly important role in addressing these challenges in the year ahead.” 

In addition to serving the students who are some of the youngest or most vulnerable, the Office of Education also advises the 23 school districts throughout San Mateo County.

The Office of Education has applied for the award in years past, earning lower tier honors. What pushed the office over the edge this year was the multi-pronged collaborative effort from every department, said Julie Hilborn, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability coordinator.  

Since 1968, the San Mateo Outdoor Education program at Jones Gulch has become a well-known and beloved environmental education program that provides academic learning and an opportunity for students to develop self sufficiency and social responsibility. Many schools during the pandemic and time of remote learning looked to San Mateo County as an example, speakers noted.

“We know that time in nature for kids makes them want to go to school,” Hilborn said. “It increases their self confidence, it increases their academic achievement, just having time in nature to look up at the sky, to get out of the classroom and have those experiences with community partners.” 

At the Gateway Community School — which serves students who have not thrived in traditional educational spaces but want to work toward obtaining the equivalent of a high school diploma — there is a garden on site where a garden educator comes to work with students once a week. 

“That kind of thing is what works with those kids, they have to have hands on. It can’t just be a bunch of academics, they have to have things that they see and feel real,” Hilborn said. 

A critical component of obtaining the highest honors is success in making facilities efficient and sustainable. The business services division of the Office of Education has worked diligently to improve its facilities to help the environment while also reducing costs. 

“We try to help districts see that by doing these things that are going to reduce climate change and help the environment, they are also going to save money,” Hilborn said. 

Deputy Superintendent Kevin Bultema and Facilities Services Manager Rich Maldonado joined Hilborn in receiving the Green Achievers Award. 

The commitment of the business team to consider sustainability in all of their decisions and budget reviews has moved the county forward. Bultema said his role is letting Maldonado “do his thing” and Maldonado said the Office’s support lets him do it well. 

“The fact that we hear ‘yes’ to things, people don’t say no a lot,” Maldonado said to what has put the Office of Education over the edge to receive the award. 

In attendance to celebrate the honorees was the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond who said that, by blending environmental education and sustainability efforts, educators prepared students to be stewards of the environment. 

“We address health and disparities, and we create great leaders who see that their commitment is also to the community and to the people around them and to the environment around them,” Thorborn said.  

Superintendent Nancy Magee was not in attendance at the award ceremony, but each Office of Education member who spoke recognized her role as the champion of environmental and sustainability work. 

The award is a culmination of multiple years of hard work, but it is an ongoing status for which to strive, Hilborn said. 

“We really try to counter that argument that we can’t just do one more thing,” Hilborn said. “This is the thing. This is the thing that’s going to make kids want to go to school and achieve and go out into the world and feel like they’re connected to the world.” 

ana@smdailyjournal.com

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