View the Climate Cool Schools introductory video, designed and animated by UMass Lowell student Daly Grogan and directed by Professor Ingrid Hess.
The Climate Cool Schools program is a collaborative sustainability initiative between the University of Massachusetts Lowell and National Grid. The program is the first and only of its kind within the United States. The Climate Cool Schools program aims to increase awareness of climate change and advance a joint climate and environmental sciences curriculum for middle school students, as well as their families.
Students celebrated their school's completion of the program and received Climate Cool Schools Champions medals.
The Climate Cool Schools program directly impacted over 600 students at our pilot school, Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School during the 2024-2025 academic year. Through their participation in the program, Stoklosa students and staff were able to enhance their school garden, transforming it into a true living-learning community for all and increased their signage around waste and recycling with the goal of encouraging more sustainable practices within the school. Stoklosa teachers attended a two-day professional development workshop, connecting with UMass Lowell faculty members to create sustainability-centered lesson plans that can be used in conjunction with the pre-existing Massachusetts curriculum. Finally, students and staff from Stoklosa attended a Day of Service on campus to celebrate their completion of the program and engage in sustainability-related learning and service.
As the pilot chapter ends with the successful completion of the program at the Stoklosa Middle School, the Climate Cool School program will expand to five additional schools in Lowell for the 2025-2026 academic year. The schools are:
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
- Benjamin F. Butler Middle School
- Henry J. Robinson Middle School
- S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School
- STEM Academy at the Rogers School
Students from Stoklosa School attended a Day of Service to assist with planting at the garden located at UMass Lowell's Rist Urban Agriculture Greenhouse and Farm.
The program is made up of six core pillars that each school must complete and implement in their regular academic and extracurricular activities:
- School Garden and Nutritional Education - Engaging students with their school gardens in collaboration with Mill City Grows and a dedicated volunteer group from UMass Lowell to keep the gardens clean, healthy, and in use for educational and well-being benefits.
- Safe Routes to School (assisted by MassDOT) - Ensuring schools have access to the proper resources, including grants and physical materials, necessary to facilitate safe transportation to and from school via walking, biking, or shared transportation.
- Waste and Recycling Analysis and Audit – Understanding the waste and recycling practices of participating schools through regular audits and distributing resources to the schools to assist in their waste and recycling processes (posters, increased trash receptacles, etc.).
- Decarbonization Roadmap - Support schools in their progress towards decarbonization while working with the City of Lowell and National Grid to achieve school-specific energy efficiency goals.
- Sustainability and Climate Change Summer Education Program – Providing teachers with the necessary training and materials to implement sustainability into their lesson plans in conjunction with state curriculum requirements.
- A Sustainability Focused Day of Service – Bring students to UMass Lowell’s campus for an opportunity to explore the Urban Agriculture Greenhouse and Farm and celebrate their graduation from the Climate Cool Schools program.
Through collaboration with National Grid and strengthened engagement with UMass Lowell’s community networks—including the City of Lowell, Mill City Grows, Safe Routes to Schools, and The Bike Connector—the Climate Cool Schools program will come to life across Lowell and beyond!