The award-winning Sycamore Community Schools' volunteer "Green Team" has made a significant impact on the district's environmental footprint, on the district's bottom line, and in the lives of Sycamore students in every grade.

In 2014, Sycamore was awarded the John Van Volkenburgh Award by the Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District. This award recognizes an individual or organization which identified and pursued an opportunity to better Hamilton County through innovation in recycling. It is the highest award the organization bestows.

In addition to this recognition, Sycamore was named one of only 50 "Districts of Distinction" for 2014 by District Administration magazine. Sycamore was selected because of its green initiatives, district-wide commercial composting, efficiency of operations and reducing costs.

Click here to read the District Administration story about Sycamore's "District of Distinction" honor.

The Green Team came together in the fall of 2011 and is made of up parent volunteers, administrators, teachers, building managers and high school students. At the time of its inception, the team identified several different areas where Sycamore might become more "green" in its operations.

Members of the Sycamore Green Team are:

• Chad Lewis- District administration 
• Eric Simon Thomas- parent/volunteer
• Ann Marie Reinke- Assistant Principal, Maple Dale Elementary
• Elizabeth Bruggeman--parent/volunteer
• Sarah Newman--parent/volunteer
• Jean Bissell--parent/volunteer
• Shana Berge--parent/volunteer
• James Dudley--HS Custodial Supervisor
• Ron Hochstrasser--HS Environmental Studies Teacher
• Bryan Jones--JH Science Teacher
• Elizabeth Kays--Symmes Elementary EA/district parent
• Emily Kremp--BAE Music Teacher
• Nicole Mullins--Montgomery Teacher
• Louis Sandor--EH Greene Teacher
• Georgia St. John--Maple Dale CNS Supervisor
• Karen Van Wagenen--parent/volunteer/ Sycamore Advisory Commission

For questions regarding the Green Team, contact Chad Lewis at (513) 686-1703.