Creating Climate Solutions at Summit Christian Academy

Summit Christian Academy is a K-12 school situated on a sprawling campus in the center of Cedar Park. Their vision is to “graduate empowered leaders who impact the world” — and in teacher Melissa Tapperson’s Environmental Studies class, this vision is becoming a reality.

“Our world today has many problems, including climate change, water security, loss of animal habitat, ocean acidification, pollution, the disconnect between humans and the natural world, and growing consumerism, among many others,” shares Ms. Tapperson. “Our vision is that our school community sees those problems as opportunities to innovate, change, and problem solve instead of hopelessness and apathy.”

As part of her class, eleventh and twelfth-grade students work in teams to design campus improvements that will support a more sustainable community. The projects begin with a dream walk — a chance to imagine what they hope to see. In previous years, the school would provide a small amount of funding to support a handful of projects, normally in amounts of just a few hundred dollars. When Ms. Tapperson heard about the Bright Green Future Grants program, it opened the door to new possibilities for her students. “At the beginning of the year, we talked about how the Earth was created and what it would look like if we stewarded it in a sustainable way. The Bright Green Future Grants program allowed them to make their dreams specific and attainable.”

In the 2023-24 school year, Summit was able to secure two grants to support student-led projects: an outdoor classroom and rain barrels to collect water for their campus gardens, a previous environmental studies project. It was their first time applying for these grants, and the impact of the funding is already being felt.

“We always want to go outside,” says Savannah, a rising twelfth grader who was on the team that advocated for a green classroom. “In the classroom, we’re thinking about school work, school work, school work. I think if we’re outside and we can actually see things other than the front of a school board — it lets us clear our minds.”

Summit worked with a local contractor to design and build the outdoor classroom at cost. It features benches, a stage for students in the theatre program to practice lines, and even a green roof. Once the outdoor classroom was installed, Savannah was inspired to bring in large wood logs to create an area to eat lunch or hang out. She’s hoping they can find a way for her team to add their names to the classroom so future students know who dreamed up the project.

Students sit on the log table and chairs that Savannah (second from left) added to the outdoor classroom.

Joaquin, also a rising senior, worked on the grant for the rain barrels. “I was hoping we could get more water for the plants because the hose can only reach so far.” The rain barrels will be installed this summer and were, admittedly, much bigger than the students imagined. “When you plant your own food and eat it, you know what’s in it, because you grew it.”

Joaquin (right) was surprised by the size of the rain barrels and is excited to see them installed.

These changes will be felt far beyond Ms. Tapperson’s class. “The Bright Green Future Grant is a really great way to engage students, teachers, and the community towards a more sustainable future,” Ms. Tapperson adds. “They have inspired our students to dream more, create solutions, and see that they can impact the world around them.”