École Secondaire Lacombe Composite has been named the national secondary winner of the 2024–25 EcoTeam Awards, an annual recognition presented by EcoSchools Canada with support from Canadian National Railway.
These awards honour outstanding student-led environmental leadership in schools across the country.
In addition to national recognition, École Secondaire Lacombe Composite will receive a $5,000 grant from the EcoTeam Award to fund an environmental project of their choice, along with a sustainable trophy and a digital EcoTeam Award seal.
After careful consideration by a panel of judges assessing student leadership, creativity, impact and community engagement, four exceptional schools were selected out of hundreds of applicants.
The winners of the 2024–25 EcoTeam Awards are:
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Elementary First Place: Lawfield Elementary School, Hamilton, Ont.
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Secondary First Place: École Secondaire Lacombe Composite, Lacombe, Alta.
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Elementary Runner-Up: Donald Cousens Public School, Markham, Ont.
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Secondary Runner-Up: École secondaire Michelle-O’Bonsawin, Ottawa, Ont.
Now in its second year, the EcoTeam Awards celebrate student-led teams that demonstrate environmental innovation, student leadership and meaningful community impact.
Students from École secondaire Lacombe Composite highlighted the power of youth-led innovation, saying “Weaving education into some really cool and fun projects is really important… it should be student-led.”
More than 1,900 schools participated in the EcoSchools Certification Program this year, with over 24,000 environmental actions completed by more than 987,000 students across Canada.
Some of the inspiring initiatives this year’s winning schools took on include hosting a school-wide "Trashion Show" that turned waste into wearable art; a community event celebrating water protection through collaborative art and learning; and growing hydroponic and aquaponic gardens that supply fresh produce while protecting pollinators with student-made natural pesticides.
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