CA Green Ribbon Schools Application Support

Project Management Resources:

• District Green Ribbon Project Management Template: This template provides the scaffolding for managing a green ribbon application. Each section includes the GRS Application Questions, a list of possible writers and reviewers, and a list of where one might find resources to fill out that section of the application. After making a copy of this template, the Green Ribbon Project Manager(s)/Lead Applicant can delegate researching and writing tasks for each section.

• Green Ribbon Application Progress Trackers: These spreadsheets are application progress tracker templates that support managing a Green Ribbon application with input from different members of a school community. There is an application progress tracker for first time applicants, and for return applicants who are looking to level up on their application:

  • • Application Tracker for First Time Applicants (download to make a copy for use)

    • Application Tracker for Return Applicants (download to make a copy for use)

• Ventura County Office of Education's (VCOE) Green Ribbon Application Technical Guide: The aim of this technical guide is to support a team of dedicated and passionate leaders to successfully submit a CA-GRS application to recognize all the efforts, strategies, and activities of the district and school to be environmentally sustainable. This technical guide offers ideas, tools, and resources to facilitate a successful process that includes reflection, documentation, and generating next steps for continued improvement. 

Example Applications: This folder contains example applications from sites, districts, and COEs at different tiered levels of achievement: bronze, silver, gold, and green achiever. 

Rubric Resources: These tools support the prediction of what an applicants anticipated score might be for each section of the application. 

• U.S. Department of Education Sample Scoring Rubric

• Paul Chapman Green Ribbon Rubric Crib Sheet 

Press Release and Newsletter Communications: Use the following resources to support communications in crafting news article announcements or elevating those who are most closely supporting the Green Ribbon work.  

• • • Press Release and Newsletter Examples

    • Achiever Story Examples: Note this page features changemaker articles, as well as promising practice profiles, and application summaries. The changemaker articles are the closest example to a newsletter article. 

Application Summary Documents: The following resources provide a template and examples of how to summarizing the application into no more than four pages or into a slide deck presentation that can be shared with students, staff, a school board, or parent presentation.  

• Summary Templates: Document Template and Slide Template

• Site, District, and COE Document and Slide Summary Examples:

  • • Site Example: Bishop O'Dowd 2013-14 (Silver) Document Summary Version and Slides Summary Version 

    • District Examples: 

      • • Ravenswood Elementary School District (2021) Slides Summary version

        • Santa Clara USD 2023 (Bronze) Document Summary version and Slides Summary version

    • County Office of Education (COE) Example: SMCOE Summary and Next Steps (2017-2019)

• Achiever Story Examples: Note this page features some official application summaries that have been put together by the California Department of Education (CDE).