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STATE WINNING BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAM

- Campus Life

Immaculate Conception Catholic School is unique in its decades-long dedication to Stewardship of God's Creation through its partnership with Keep Denton Beautiful, the parish, and other organizations. To that end, we have developed several student service organizations (Builders Club, Beta Club, and Student Council). These organizations work collaboratively with each other, younger students, teachers, staff, parents and the community at large to develop leadership, improve self-esteem and learn life skills through earth stewardship, campus care, and community service. This dedication resulted in the top educational institution award in the entire state of Texas through Keep Texas Beautiful. See article below:

Immaculate Conception Catholic School Awarded First Place in Keep Texas Beautiful Youth and Educator Awards

May 18, 2018 - Denton, TX – Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) announced Immaculate Conception Catholic School (ICCS) as the First Place winner in the Sadie Ray Graff Educators and Educational Institution Awards. The Sadie Ray Graff Awards recognizes the efforts of educators and educational institutions who encourage youth involvement and promote the KTB mission through environmental education.

ICCS was established in 1995 and is an accredited educational institution serving 245 students from pre-K through eighth grade. One of ICCS’s goals is to promote the development of the whole child through the educational process. This award application was written and submitted by Keep Denton Beautiful, Inc. (KDB) to recognize the sustained excellence of Immaculate Conception Catholic School. Some of ICCS’s accomplishments in the 2017-2018 school year include:

 Received a $1,000 Catholic Life Insurance grant for sustainability projects including a vegetable garden, greenhouse, and recycling.
 Received a $500 grant from KDB to construct a greenhouse to keep native/adapted landscape plants and food crops.
 Built elective courses to support Environmental Science curricula (recycling, gardening, construction techniques, sustainability, and to support collaborative learning opportunities (pre-K – 8th).
 Facilitated a school-wide weekly recycling program.
 Provided produce grown in their garden to Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen.
 Planted native shrubs and trees on campus.

ICCS would like to recognize Art and Theater Teacher and Special Projects Coordinator, Tina Jezek, who plays a key role in the school’s success in environmental sciences and contributed to the winning of this award. Ms. Jezek has a background as an artist, drama director, and master gardener and has intertwined these gifts to champion a host of programs at ICCS. Under her direction, the school developed a comprehensive recycling program. Additionally, through grant funding from KDB, she spearheaded projects such as building a vegetable garden and compost pile; in cooperation with Eagle Scouts, created landscape beds and fencing; and completed the eighth grade memorial project. Ms. Jezek also mentors students through electives such as sewing, environmental science, and gardening.

Winners were recognized at the annual KTB Conference on Wednesday, June 12. A full list of award winners can be found at https://ktb.org/ktbawards.

Keep Denton Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that offers programs in litter prevention, community beautification, and tree planting for the benefit of Denton neighborhoods, businesses, and residents of all ages. The mission of KDB is to engage our community in creating a clean and beautiful Denton. For more information, visit www.kdb.org.
About Keep Texas Beautiful

Keep Texas Beautiful is a network of dedicated Texans working together to make our state the best place to live, work and play. We equip local partners and affiliates with the tools they need to build vibrant, engaged communities. Founded in 1967, Keep Texas Beautiful has 50 years of experience deploying resources for local clean-up, recycling and youth engagement efforts. Everything we do is focused on mobilizing volunteers to take action across the state. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we lead more than 400 affiliates and reach 21 million Texans annually. We are proudly based in Austin, Texas.

Recycling Teams coordinate with classrooms to keep Waste in Place.

Outdoor Learning Center is Utilized by
all classes PreK-8th.

Construction on the Greenhouse utilizes Upper School students who are learning life-long skills.