MIDDLETOWN – A local school has won a grant that will help it move close to its vision of environmental stewardship.

The Lake County International Charter School has received a $10,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Bright Ideas Grant.

The school, which currently has 100 kindergarten through eighth grade students and five teachers, opened its doors in 2005, said Laura Stalker, the school's administrative assistant. Lake County International Charter School is a tuition-free, authorized International Baccalaureate World school.

PG&E reported that it gives out $250,000 in $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 or $10,000 increments to promote environmental stewardship in five categories: educational solar projects, youth energy and environmental programs, renewable energy or science related field trips, green your school projects and professional development/service learning projects/ workforce development programs.

“Teaching environmental stewardship to our students and their families has always been part of our vision and our charter,” said school Director Karl Reichman said.

Reichman said the award will help the school establish its garden education center with a greenhouse, composting bins, rain collection barrel, and environmental education programs that will teach students to work with adults while learning about gardening and the relationship between people, plants and wildlife.

“We already have an environment education program, but it's going to expand that,” said Stalker. “The environmental education portion of the school has always been in the vision but we lacked the funds to implement it as fully as we would like to.

Stalker said the school also wants to start growing native plants that it can sell to support its programs. In addition, the school plans to partner with local agencies for watershed improvement.

“We want to teach the kids that they're connected to each other, wildlife, and how our actions affect the entire globe,” Stalker said.

Part of the school's vision includes growing food for students' meals, said Stalker. “This is just the beginning of that.”

Stalker said the school also will look at its ecological footprint and consider how it can reduce it.

They're also looking at other, larger grants that could assist with everything from further stewardship opportunities to making documentaries, Stalker said.

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