Two environmentally-minded Valley schools were recognized on April 28 as part of School Building Week 2008's Healthy Schools Day.

Each day of School Building Week, Monday, April 28 - Friday, May 1, highlights a particular aspect of the importance of school facilities to student learning and the community.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) commended these schools for being named recipients of the City of Los Angeles Recycling Excellence Awards.

At the first event, LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan's office honored CHIME Institute's Arnold Schwarzenegger Elementary School in Woodland Hills for being named the awards' grand prize winner.

The city of Los Angeles presented the school a check for $2,000 to further the school's recycling program which is headed by the school's Green Team.

CHIME's Green Team is a volunteer school organization made up of fourth-graders, their teachers, the principal, vice principal and a volunteer parent. The group is dedicated to educating themselves, their school and the community about the environment as well as responsible for carrying out the school's recycling program.

"The students, the volunteer parent, teachers and administrators of the CHIME Green Team have created a wonderful partnership leading the way forward in both practicing and teaching the importance of sustainability, and I am so pleased the City of Los Angeles is recognizing and supporting their efforts," Galatzan said. "CHIME's Green Team is a model for how other schools can complement classroom curriculum by embracing recycling on their campuses."

LAUSD Board Member Julie Korenstein honored students and staff of Sylmar's Harding Street Elementary School, also winners of a city of Los Angeles Recycling Excellence Award for their ambitious recycling efforts.

"It was great news to hear that your school made $500 from two weeks of collecting bottles and cans," Korenstein said to a group of third-graders who participated in the school's recent recycling competition. "We applaud all of you for everything you have done to benefit your school and the environment."

Harding Street Elementary School will receive $1,000 to further its current recycling program. A total of eight LAUSD schools received a City of Los Angeles recycling award this year.

The City of Los Angeles Recycling Excellence Awards recognizes schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to recycling or have a strong proposal involving the entire school community to implement a school-wide recycling program.

For more information about LAUSD school facilities, please visit www.laschools.org.

For more information about School Building Week 2008, visit sbw.foundation.org.