If you want to join this great network of YES! teams, contact us at sayyes@yesmn.org
2020-2021 YES! Teams
Carlton High School
- Working with a county “Green” advisor and custodial staff to explore “commercial” composting as a way to recycle organic waste from their school
- Gave virtual presentations for middle school classes about climate change
- Created an energy scavenger hunt for middle school students to do at home
Lac qui Parle Valley High School
- Kayaked Signalness (Mountain) Lake at Glacial Lakes State Park to learn about aquatic invasive species and water quality
- Got their 38 acre prairie restoration at their school planted
- Working to design and make signs, bee homes, and benches for their prairie
Mankato West High School
- Working with Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) and energy utilities to investigate cost, feasibility, and impact of installing solar panels or a solar demonstration site at Mankato West or another school in the district
Minnewaska Schools
- Completed the Lights! Water! Action! Home Energy Kits at their homes
- Doing an energy audit of their school
- Designing a pollinator garden at their middle school
New London-Spicer Middle School
- Looking to start a collection site in New London to recycle motor oil
- Completed the Lights! Water! Action! Home Energy Kits at their homes
New London-Spicer High School
- Working to design a sign for their parking lot prairie
- Completed the Lights! Water! Action! Home Energy Kits at their homes
- Building posts for their prairie signs
- Trying to get bike repair stations installed along the trail by their school
Royalton High School
- Building a stand-alone 12-volt DC solar power system by using the We Share Solar Suitcase kit and will be sending to a classroom in Uganda to use
- Finishing up building 3 E-bikes to demonstrate the use of alternative energies
- Researching how to compost school lunch waste
- Planning a prairie planting in the spring
- Hoping to take a field trip this spring
Sleepy Eye (Public and St. Mary’s) High Schools
- Made seed bombs using seeds they collected from one of their pollinator gardens
- Working on getting a sign designed for their pollinator garden
- For their “Recycle Your Holiday Lights” project, students collected and recycled 1117 pounds of used holiday lights – the team’s largest collection drive ever!
Springfield High School
- Growing plants in an indoor hydroponics system
- Collected unused holiday lights from the community to be recycled
Virginia High School
- Stay tuned for updates!
Westbrook-Walnut Grove High School
- Developed and hosted a week of school-wide activities to teach other students about the impacts of carbon emissions from vehicles and promote less-polluting transportation choices
- Created a 3-hole disc golf course where the targets are made with used bike wheels and other recycled parts
- Installing solar lights on path near their rain garden project, new playground equipment, and new shelter for classes to meet outside
Yellow Medicine East High School
- Hoping to work on pollinator gardens again this Spring
“It feels good to make a difference in the environment and bringing positive changes to our school.” –YES! Student
