At CES we are a Green School. We have been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as one of the Top 10 Green Schools in the US, as well as have our Green Ribbon Status with the US Department of Education. Taking care of our environment and our communities is a major focus for our school. Each grade level has their own garden space. Some are for learning (VA Garden, Butterfly Garden), and others are for growing produce.

We wanted to turn our gardens into a Green STEAM project. We have started our own Farmer's Market, right at our school, at dismissal to give our families easy access to farm fresh, organic food. We have partnered with a local organic farmer to help us have the volume of produce needed. The students completely run the market. They are in charge of the gardens, from planting to harvest, they have to keep the books, used a cash register, scales, work with the customers, set it up, take it down etc...They have even researched what grows best in NOVA for each seasion. It is amazing to watch them take ownership of this project.