Holy Angels Earns Green Flag Recognition for Environmental Excellence

The Academy of the Holy Angels has once again been recognized for its outstanding commitment to sustainability, earning the prestigious Green Flag from EcoSchools USA for the second consecutive year. This top-tier certification celebrates AHA’s dedication to implementing diverse, student-driven environmental initiatives. EcoSchools USA praised our Angels’ wide range of impactful actions, from hands-on cleanups and composting to creative outreach and education programs. The school’s vibrant social media campaigns, which actively involved students, faculty, and staff, were also highlighted as a strength.

This year, the Academy earned 204 points, far surpassing the 100 points required to achieve Green Flag status.

Under the guidance of Sustainability Coordinator Sean Hickey, Holy Angels students spearheaded projects that blended science, creativity, and community service:

• EcoCode Contest: Students Tess Mulcahy ’28 and Norah Park ’26 led the way with a new sustainability slogan and inspiring artwork to rally the school community.
• Hands-On Environmental Science: Students participated in water quality testing and macroinvertebrate surveys at Tenakill Creek and organized cleanups along the Hudson River and on campus.
• Innovative Composting: AHA expanded its composting efforts with the addition of vermicomposting (worm composting) alongside cafeteria food scrap collection.
• Student-Created Resources: The community created an endangered species coloring book and installed a Little Seed Library, an idea and project brought to life by Eva Santelli.
• Sustainability Education: AHA ran four environmental workshops during Awareness Day, covering fast fashion, veganism, carbon footprints, and composting. Juniors also explored green career paths during a dedicated career panel.
• Service and Stewardship: On Service Day, the middle school students built and decorated birdhouses. The school community also organized a uniform donation drive, partnering with parent volunteers to extend the program’s reach.
• Recycling Initiatives: The Environmental Club monitored recycling in the cafeteria, created signage and videos to reduce silverware waste, implemented a recycling rewards program, and purchased a Zero Waste box for collecting used pens and markers.

While Holy Angels has demonstrated remarkable success within the school community, EcoSchools USA encouraged the Academy to expand its partnerships with local nonprofits, businesses, municipalities, and families to further amplify its environmental impact.

“We are incredibly proud of the passion and dedication our students bring to caring for the planet,” said Hickey. “From seed libraries to cleanups, our Angels are leading the way in showing how small actions can grow into meaningful change.”

Congratulations to everyone in the Holy Angels community for earning this well-deserved Green Flag! We look forward to building on this success and growing our impact even further next year. 

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from many backgrounds. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.