What's Happening

July 15, 2022, Shaker Heights, Ohio – St. Dominic School in Shaker Heights, Ohio – where 30 Adrian Dominican Sisters and 18 former Adrian Dominican Sisters taught from 1952 to 1978 – was named one of 27 Green Ribbon Schools and the only one in Ohio.

The U.S. Department of Education designates schools as Green Ribbon for their “innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness and ensure effective sustainability education,” according to a press release issued by the Department. 

“This year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools honorees have raised the bar for sustainability, healthy and safe school environments, and hands-on learning experiences that connect students of all ages to the world around them,” said Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education.

In a document highlighting the achievements of Green Ribbon Schools, the Department of Education notes St. Dominic School’s 2016 Caring for God’s Creation Initiative, in which lights were upgraded to LED bulbs and low-flow fixtures and water bottle filling stations were installed. Students are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles to school and the cafeteria offers reusable trays, cups, and flatware. About a quarter of the school’s lunches include locally grown and produced foods. 

St. Dominic School offers STREAM education, focusing on Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Science classes focus on ways to interact respectfully with living things and the environment, and each grade also focuses on solving infrastructure problems. In addition, students in grades 5 to 8 are invited to join the Earth Ambassadors, learning about environmental issues at the school and beyond and organizing the school’s observance of Earth Day each year.

Sustainability has also been a focus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Both the 2016 General Chapter and the recent June 27-July 2, 2022, General Chapter have approved Enactments calling the Congregation to efforts at sustainability. The 2022 Enactment calls on the Adrian Dominican Sisters to become a Laudato Si’ Congregation, collaborating with other Catholic organizations throughout the world in the seven-year, seven-goal Laudato Si’ Action Platform. The 2015 encyclical by Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ calls on all people of goodwill to work toward the healing of Earth, our “common home.”