The Sustainability Scholar Program is a new initiative at Meridian High School to encourage students to take action in sustainability initiatives around the community. 

“Sustainability Scholar is a really great program because it empowers students to take action and be involved within the community and give back to the community, in the hopes that we have students who graduate here and go on to make the world a better place,” said Sustainability Coordinator Nicole Jones.

In accordance with U.N Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the school-led program educates students about the importance of sustainable thinking and action. 

“We are approaching it in multiple different ways, teachers are starting to have conversations about the three main pillars of sustainability, which are environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and also social justice. If you think about these things, they are everywhere in what we do as a school,” Jones said.

The program offers a plethora of student and faculty program-led projects around the school and community. Student-led initiatives include but are not limited to building bee hotels, ant farms, and small mammal care. 

“Our goal with this program was to make sure that students of all backgrounds, all ability levels, and different interests can engage in it,” said Jones.

The Sustainability Program allows students and clubs to apply for their efforts to be listed as an official “Sustainability Project.” Jones coordinates this and is the contact point for students or clubs interested in this program. 

After completing volunteer work, students must enter their hours into Innerview, a website intended to track service hours. If students are interested in logging their hours, the Innerview slideshow details how to create an Innerview account, connect a profile to the MYP Service as Action group, and how students should log hours to be recognized for their efforts.

Students that meet certain time and activity criteria in Innerview are granted sustainability titles, become eligible to receive rewards, and will be recognized for their sustainability efforts when they graduate. 

“Sustainability in Action at Meridian is one of those things that is still evolving, and there is a natural connection to how we function as an IB school. As a result, we want to empower all students to take action and be involved within the community for the betterment of the world,” said Jones.