Inside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., senior Darion Mullins and sophomore Ocean Okohson-Reb, accompanied by Assistant Principal for Mission Jim Linhares and Sustainability Chair Anne Marie Lodholz, accepted the Green Ribbon Award on behalf of SLUH on Sept. 19.

Mullins was excited to be a part of the group.

“Everyone in high school wants to be remembered, and this was one of those moments where I realized we were able to do something good for someone else, and I hope people remember that and continue it,” said Mullins.

The award was presented by Andrea Falken, the Department of Education’s Director of Green Ribbon Schools, for SLUH’s impressive sustainability efforts, including its work on Iron Chef, the Waste Not, Want Not: Art Reimagined Green Schools Quest, and the Energy Reduction and Landscaping teams. SLUH was joined by 46 other elementary and high schools, as well as several colleges, in accepting the accolade.

The awards ceremony provided an opportunity for some good networking.

“At the reception, I talked with many people who had made differences in their individual communities,” said Okohson-Reb. “They helped me start to think about some more stuff SLUH could do.”

While in DC, the quartet visited popular destinations such as the White House, Capitol Building and the Supreme Court.

They also explored the Air and Space Museum and the National Mall, and dined on Native American cuisine. They saw the oldest map of the Americas, and toured the house across from the Ford Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was shot.

“The highlights were probably American College, the first university to achieve the carbon neutral status, and just getting to see the presentations from the many green school winners,” said Lodholz.